Heartache
by LLF
Summary: An AU Luby...but be warned. Season 13 spoilers implied and expanded. Not what you might expect....but enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_This particulary story has been broiling in me since I first read the spoilers for the season finale and next season's openers. It was set into motion after watching 'Sand and Water' again. Be warned...it's very emotional... and not the way most of us would like to see the current story played out._

Abby's fingers closed around the small wooden box in her lap even as she slept. It was the box that had held the compass he'd given her on that Christmas Eve when she'd given him the news about being pregnant. Some how it seemed a fitting carrier for the precious ashes inside. Luka settled his head on the pillow of the airplane's seat and watched her sleep. She had been through so much. The trauma in the ER, her surgeries, weeks of watching their son struggle to survive in the NICU...and finally the moment when they had looked at one another and knew that it was time to let him go. They had held each other then...held _him_ until the fragile life had slipped away. The aftermath of that moment had almost been a relief...almost. Each tiny breath that Josip had taken since the moment of his birth had been a struggle. Every step forward seemed to bring them two steps back. It was worse in that they were both doctors. The knew just how much could be done, how much care was taken and how far they could go. So now they were on their way to Croatia...to place their son alongside Danijela, Jasna and Marko. Luka looked up as the landing announcement came over the speaker and the seatbelt light came on.

"Abby," he whispered in her ear and then jostled her gently. "We're preparing to land." Abby's eyes opened and she shook her head a bit. She looked at him and smiled softly. Luka grinned and she reached up to pat his cheek as she kissed him. He helped her with the seat belt and his fingers brushed the box in her lap. She watched out the window as the plane circled and then landed in the city of Reijeka. They were the last to disembark, the last to go through customs. Luka had handled their paperwork and passports. He slipped so easily into his native tongue. She had taken it all in, wide eyed, surrounded by words and phrases that she was only beginning to understand. They were ushered through the customs gate to a waiting area. Luka had shifted their carry on bags to his shoulders and gently pressed her forward with his hand in the small of her back.

She should have known that she would recognize him instantly. Luka's father was sitting on a hard bench and stood up when he saw them. He was as tall as Luka. His hair was just as dark and flecked with gray. It was the Luka of a few more years down the road. He wore a dark sweater and held a leather jacket over his arm. He smiled and waved a bit. Luka propelled her forward and then dropped the bags to the floor as he embraced his father. The two men stood for a long time holding one another.

"Dobrodošli na home, moj sin," Laurentis said as he kissed Luka's cheeks. His eyes shifted to Abby and he reached for her hand.

"Hvala vam za donijeti njemu home," he said. "Thank you...for bringing...him...home." Abby wasn't sure who he meant, Luka or the ashes she held, but she took a deep breath and blinked back tears that suddenly stung her eyes. Laurentis gathered her into his arms and held her as she began to cry softly.

"Moj kcerka..." he said softly. My daughter. Luka closed his eyes and then felt himself being drawn into his father's embrace again, with Abby cuddled safely between them.

Laurentis lived in a spacious apartment overlooking the city and out over the bay on the Adriatic Sea. He gave Abby and Luka his bedroom and had moved himself into the room he used for his studio. The furnishings throughout were sparse and tasteful. There was art everywhere. Abby wandered through and cocked an eyebrow at Luka.

"I didn't grow up here," he laughed. "He was a train conductor, remember?" Laurentis watched her quizzically and Luka explained her confusion to him. His father chuckled and nodded. He spoke and Luka laughed.

"He said, it's the Art. People pay too much for so very little." Abby smiled and nodded. Luka carried their bags to the bedroom. She reached out a finger to touch a small bronze sculpture of a water lily in a bowl that sat on an end table. Laurentis smiled.

"Moj supruga ljubimac cvijet," he said. He frowned a bit.

"My wife...best...flower?" He tipped his head to see if he'd said it right. Abby nodded in understanding.

"'It's beautiful," she said. "Lijep..." Larentis smiled broadly and nodded his approval. Abby looked around and yawned. She shook her head as she tried to keep her eyes open. Luka walked through from the bedroom and Laurentis nodded toward Abby. Luka smiled and crossed the room to her side.

"Jet lag?" Abby nodded. Luka picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. She didn't protest as he stood her next to the high bed and pulled back the covers. He opened her bag and pulled out a pair of pajama pants. He helped her with the buttons on the shirt she wore over a soft cami and tossed it on the chair in the corner of the room. Abby slipped out of her slacks and into her pajama pants.

"There's only one bathroom and it's out there," he said. "Sorry." Abby shook her head and yawned again. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged. Luka kissed the top of her head and helped her into bed.

"I'm going to talk to my father for a little while," he said. Abby nodded and snuggled under the coverlet he pulled over her. Luka kissed her again and then switched off the bedside lamp. The room wasn't dark as it was still early evening. She smiled softly when she saw the small wooden box Luka had placed on the table next to her. She kissed the tips of her fingers and touched the warm wood before she closed her eyes.

Luka took her everywhere in Reijika. They walked the streets and shopped. They rode bicycles to the beach and wandered hand in hand along the cold waters on the sandy shoreline. They spent time with his brothers, Andro and Zoran, and their families. Surprisingly, they were a loud and affectionate family. Laurentis sat back, observing with great pleasure, the relationship of his three sons together. And his eye was always on Abby, the tiny mite of a thing that was the center of his eldest son's world. She was, indeed, beautiful, as Luka had been telling him all these years. And she was strong...but haunted. Even when she smiled there was a cloud in her brown eyes, as if she were waiting for something to crashing down. Maybe it was just the artist in him that saw that. He had always been a keen observer into people's very souls. Abby had caught him watching her on more than one occasion. He'd just smile and would smother her with a kiss if he was close enough...to make her laugh again.

The three of them visited the cemetary near the church together one day. Abby had been dreading it. She really didn't want to see where they would be burying her son. Not yet. Luka had said they wouldn't do anything until she was ready. Laurentis and Luka were on either side of her as they wandered slowly amongst the head stones. Not until they stood before the simple marker with the names of Danijela, Jasna and Marko. And several spaces away, the stone that marked the grave of Luka's mother. Laurentis moved off to pick away the dried blossoms from the flowers that grew there, to clear away some fallen leaves. Luka knelt before the other with his head bowed and his eyes closed. Abby had folded her arms across her chest and looked up into the blue, blue sky. She could hear birds in the tree nearby, and the far away sound of traffic in the streets intermingling with the sounds of children playing on the grounds of the parish school nearby. She was relieved. This was a good place. She looked at Luka as he crossed himself and then lifted his eyes to her. She was able to smile at him. She sighed and he reached for her hand and clung to it.

She'd said she was ready. She felt she was ready. But inside, she was flooded with panic as they all gathered in the cemetary. Andro and Valerija and their sons, who'd come home from their schools to be with them...Zoran and Jelena with their daughter...Laurentis...and Luka. Abby felt so...loved. The box that held Josip's ashes was passed carefully from one hand to the other...kissed, caressed with affection...until it was in her hands again. Her eyes filled with tears as she held the box to her cheek for a moment, traced the edges with her finger tips one last time and then handed it carefully to Luka. His eyes held hers for a long moment as he cradled the box in his big hands. He nodded and sighed and then handed it to the attendant who stood next to the priest. Luka wrapped an arm around Abby and held her close as the little box was placed in the deep hole in front of the marker that held his family's names. They were both lost in their thoughts as the priest's blessing droned on and dirt covered the little box.

Luka reached over and came awake as his arm stretched across and empty bed. He lifted his head and looked around the bedroom. She was gone. A slight breeze ruffled the curtains that covered the balcony doors. He pushed the bedcovers aside and sat up. He slipped his feet into the warm slippers beside the bed and padded toward the curtained doors.

She was swallowed up in a thick white terry robe that belonged to his father and sat in a chair on the balcony. Her bare toes were wrapped around the bottom of the wrought iron railing and she hugged herself as she watched the sun rise over the horizon. Luka watched her for a long moment and then reached out to touch her shoulder. She didn't look at him.

"We need time to heal, Abby," he said quietly as he gently caressed her jaw with his thumb. Her eyes widened a bit as she blinked away the glittering tears on her lashes.

"Do you really think that's possible?" she asked, still not looking at him.

"I know it is," Luka sighed. He straightened and folded his arms across his chest as he, too, watched the spreading rays from the rising sun. It was a long moment before he spoke again. He was wondering if it was the right moment.

"I want to go to Darfur for a little while," he said finally. "I've been thinking about it." Abby's eyes closed tightly and she took a breath to still the panic that had leaped into her throat.

"I want you to come with me...as my wife." Abby shook her head slowly and tried to stifle the sob that threatened to choke her. Luka squatted next to her chair and took her hand in his. He kissed her fingers gently as he studied her profile.

"Please, Abby." Luka's hand reached over to cup her cheek in his palm. He turned her face toward him and waited until she opened her eyes.

"Please?" he said again. Tears spilled over her eyelids and slid down her cheeks as she gazed into his eyes. There were tears on Luka's cheeks as well. But it was his green eyes that held her. The eyes that were filled the incredible pain that she shared...and such love. She took a deep breath and reached up to take his hand in her's. Abby leaned forward and began to kiss away the tears.

"Yes," she said softly. "I'll go with you...and as your wife." Luka let out a deep, relieved sigh and wrapped his hands around her face as he drew her into a kiss.

They were married a week later, in a small Catholic church ceremony surrounded again by his family. Luka felt as if he had been handed a gift the first time they kissed each other as husband and wife. It was if all they had been through over the years had brought them to that single moment...that very instant. His family had celebrated for them. Only Laurentis was saddened. He, alone, knew that they would be gone again...and soon.

Abby was sorting through the clothing she had brought with her as she contemplated what she would need in the desert. Luka had said they would buy anything else they needed in Sudan before they went on to Darfur. With winter coming in Croatia, they wouldn't be able to find much desert wear in Reijeka. She looked up and smiled when Laurentis knocked on the bedroom door.

"Halo, Tata," she said and he poked his head in the room. Laurentis came inside and indicated the open suitcase on the bed. Abby nodded.

"Yes, I am trying to pack." He smiled and held out a box he'd been holding behind his back. Abby looked up at him and then took the box from him. She opened the top and her eyes widened. He had packed the little bronze water lily sculpture inside. She knew how much it meant to him. It was a memory of Luka's mother.

"I can't take this," she said. "It's too special to you." Laurentis placed a finger on her lips.

"Ti si ostavljajuci tvoj srce zaslu eno," he said. "JA htijenje poslati mi srce sa vašim." Abby frowned in confusion. It was too many words too fast. Laurentis looked up thoughtfully and then tried again.

"Abby...," he said slowly. "You leave your...heart...with me to care for...and I will...uh... send...my heart...with you. Eh?" Tears welled up in her eyes and Abby sighed. She stood on tip toe to press a kiss to his cheek. Laurentis smiled and hugged her.

They stopped by the cemetary on their way to the airport. Someone had already been there, had raked the grass smooth and covered the small square patch of dirt with seed. They would sprout before long. Abby looked up and her eyes met those of her father in law, who waited for them by the car. He smiled and tipped his hat toward her. She took a deep breath and looked up at Luka.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked. She leaned against him and nodded. He took her hand in his and they walked back toward the waiting car.

Hot. It was so hot. And dusty. The jeep they were in broiled out dust behind them as it sped down the bumpy road toward the refugee camp. They'd been stopped at several check points and searched. Everything had been removed from the jeep and needed to be repacked. It had taken them longer than expected to arrive. The jeep pulled to a stop in front of the medical center that had been created in the center of the camp. Luka jumped out of the back of the jeep and held his hand out to help her. He turned and grinned as he heard a familiar voice coming from the man backing out of the door. He was speaking angrily in French.

John Carter turned around and found himself unexpectedly face to face with his friend.

"'Luka?" He exclaimed as he threw his arms around him.

"You needed help?" Luka laughed.

"We were told to expect two doctors...a husband and wife team," John said. "No one could tell me who..." He stopped as his eyes met Abby's.

"Abby?" He was incredulous. She smiled.

"Hello, John," she said softly. Carter stepped forward and drew her into a hug. He held her hands as he stepped back to look at her.

"Nice hat." She chuckled as her eyes traveled up to the wide brim of the bucket hat Luka had insisted that she would need. Carter looked down at her hands and noticed the gold wedding band she wore.

"Congratulations," he said. Abby smiled and pulled her hands carefully from his.

"'Doctor John! Doctor John!" They all looked in the direction of a boy who was racing toward them.

"The cook stove blew up! " the boy cried as he tried to catch his breath. "...at the school."

"Aw...damn," Carter cried. He barked an order in French and Luka jumped back into the jeep and started tossing out their bags and the medical supplies they had brought with them. He helped load a large medical kit in the back. People scurried as CArter barked order after order. Luka reached down to help Abby climb into the back seat as Carter slid into the front passenger seat of the jeep. She dropped beside Luka and held the hat on her head as the jeep sped toward the school.


	2. Chapter 2

'You do realize, don't you, that this is our honeymoon? A wedding trip?" Luka grinned as he settled back on the bed they'd made by pushing their two cots together. Abby shook her head continued to flip through the pages of the months old magazine in her lap as she spoke.

"Most people...smart people...go to beaches...or casinos...not to the middle of a conflict torn desert...surrounded by people in tents, for cripe's sake...where there are no hot showers ...or massages... or..." Luka grinned and toyed with the hair at the nape of her neck that had escaped her pony tail. She shuddered and brushed his fingers away thinking it was one of the ever present flies that plagued her. Luka's hand crept to her shoulder and her pulled her back against him. Abby snuggled against his chest for a moment and then sat up and looked at him.

"Eeew...you stink." Luka snickered and pulled her back down for a kiss.

"Let me take your mind off that," he said softly. "And you, by the way, smell just as bad." Abby sat up straight on the cot and looked at him.

"I do?" Luka rolled his eyes.

"Americans are probably the only ones in the world concerned about that." He pulled her back down and lifted his head over her's and studied her face.

"Is it that difficult being here?" he asked. Abby smiled and reached up to rub the dark beard stubble that covered his cheeks.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," she said. Luka grinned and leaned down to kiss her. Abby's eyes closed and she drew her fingers through his hair and brought him closer. She shifted the length of her body to his cot under him and Luka hurriedly unbuttoned the shirt he wore, not taking his lips from hers. Abby giggled and helped him with the belt and button at his waist. His hands slipped under her cami and caressed the sweaty slippery skin his fingers found. He lifted his head long enough to slip the cami over hers and tossed it aside. Abby's eyes were sparkling as he studied her face for a moment and then buried his face in her neck to press kisses along the salty tasting skin there.

"Ah!" Abby yelped suddenly as the cot collapsed to the floor under them.

Adam Muhammed looked up fromhis seatas Luka went to the tool box and rifled through till he found the tools he needed and headed back toward their room.

"Again?" he laughed as he went back to the papers on the table in front of him. "Those cots are only meant to hold one person for sleeping, Dr. Luka. Maybe you should put the mattresses on the floor?" Luka turned.

"She's afraid of the snakes," he shrugged with a smile.

"Hasn't anyone told her that snakes can easily climb up those..." Luka lifted a finger to his lips and shushed him as he looked toward his room cautiously. He grinned and held his tools up and went on his way. Adam laughed and shook his head.

Those two had definitely brought a new kind of life to the camp. It had only been a week. They were certainly dedicated doctors. They worked tirelessly alongside Dr. John with patients. Dr. Luka was a problem solver. He could find a way to fix anything. Dr. Abby was a favorite, drawing smiles and people where ever she walked in the camp. But when they were together - like this - it was as if no one else in the world existed but them. There was a joy that Adam hoped to find one day himself with a wife. He rolled his eyes as he heard the muffled sounds coming from their room. He gathered his papers into a neat pile and set a rock on them to keep them from blowing astray. He set his hat on his head and walked out the door. Dr. John was headed inside. Adam stopped him.

"'He's fixing their bed," he said. Carter grimaced.

"Again?" Adam shrugged and headed down the pathway with a smile. Carter shook his head and gazed wistfully toward the open door of the shelter. He turned around and headed back toward the small hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

Carter shook his head as he watched Luka tease the soccer ball with his foot and kick it past the young boys trying to get it from him. He glanced around and grinned as he saw her sitting in the sparse shade of a huge bush. He should have known. They were never too far away from one another. She seemed to have one eye on Luka and the other on the three little girls in front of her who were weaving a basket out of dried grasses. She looked up at him from under the folded brim of her hat as he approached.

"Hey," he said as he squatted down in the dust next to her. "I don't know how he can move like that in this heat." Abby chuckled and indicated her own position in the shade.

"You're asking me?" Carter grinned. They watched the impromptu soccer game in silence and Carter sighed.

"Seems kind of unfair, doesn't it?" he said quietly. "All these kids... no homes...no real schools..." Abby glanced at him with a frown that soon faded. She knew he was talking about their own sons...who would have had everything. She'd had that thought herself. Too many times in the last few weeks.

"You two seem to be handling things okay," he said. Abby shrugged.

"Maybe...here," she said. Her eyes met his. "It will be harder in Chicago. We still have a nursery to dismantle. Lots of memories at the hospital." Carter nodded.

"Chicago..." he mused. " County seems like a world away," Abby scoffed.

"I hate to break it to you, Carter, " she said. 'We're in Africa? In the middle of the desert? County General **is** a world away?" He laughed and nodded. They both looked up as they heard the sudden crack of gun fire. One of the little boys kicking the ball crumpled to the dirt. Carter instinctively shoved her back against the bush and huddled to the ground. There was another crack and another child fell. And then another. Screams came from the grass huts nearby as people emerged fromthem and ran toward the open field.

"Get down!" Luka hollered in Arabic as he fell to the ground himself and began creeping toward the injured boys. The dirt directly in front of his facekicked as another bullet narrowly missed him. Luka threw his arms around his head.

"Snipers," Carter whispered as he turned back to her. Abby had gathered the three little girls in her arms. Her terrified eyes were locked on Luka. "Stay here." Carter carefully laid himself flat on the ground and snaked silently across the packed dirt. The boys were all flat and silent. Luka lifted his head and more shots rang out. The soccer ball was kicked into the air by a bullet and then destroyed by the volley that followed. There was a shout and then they heard horses riding away. Luka lifted his head cautiously and then sprang to his knees. He crawled to the bleeding boys and felt for a pulse on each of them. Carter was at his side in an instant to help. Abby stood up and ushered the little girls quickly toward their screaming families. She turned back to see Luka drop back on his haunches in the dirt and hang his head. The bodies were picked up and carried away, the gathered crowd moving with them and he was left alone surrounded by puddles of blood. Abby watched him for a moment as he stood up and brushed the dust from his pants. Kind of a futile motion really, but she knew he was buying himself some time to absorb what had happened so quickly. She crossed her arms and waited in the sun for him to come to her. When he was near she looked up at him. Luka didn't smile as he pulled her close and held her for a long moment.

"It's not your fault, Luka," she said finally.

"I shouldn't have brought them away from the center of the camp," he said. Abby was still and then she sighed.

"There was no where else to play. They needed to play."

"But did they need to be killed?" Luka was quiet as they walked among the tent shelters toward the clinic compound. His arm was looped across her shoulders and Abby's arm circled his waist.

John Carter leaned against the tent pole of the temporary hospital and watched them walk slowly in his direction. He couldn't explain the feelings he was dealing with. Was it jealousy? He had to admit that she was still in his head. Lord, she was beautiful. Sweaty and dust covered with that crazy khaki bucket hat on her head, his heart caught in his throat whenever he saw her. Here, in this place, with everything that had happened between them so far gone, he wondered what could have been with them had they stuck it out and stayed together. What she would have been like. What he would have been like. Carter shook his head again. Hell, he was the one that broke it off between them, and it hadn't been pretty. He knew he would hurt her when he wrote the letter. And he'd wanted to hurt her then. He'd wanted to hurt someone...anyone...because he'd felt so alone. Abby was just in the way. Losing her to Luka was a fitting punishment for him. He couldn't hate either of them for being happy. He'd driven them together...or at least cleared the way for the inevitable.

It was funny how these things played out. They had gone through the same thing...the loss of a child. And with Abby it had been even more devastating. At least he and Kem could have more children when they were ready. He hadn't known what to say to them about that. But then found it best to say nothing at all. He didn't understand how what they'd been through could have brought Abby and Luka closer together when it had driven a wedge between him and Kem. It had been months since anything but emails had passed between the two of them. And here Abby had followed Luka to Africa. Abby, whose penchant for long, hot baths and fresh, hot coffee were well documented, had actually chosen to follow him to a place where tepid showers and a good brew were a rare commodity. Luka Kovac was a lucky, lucky man. Carter sighed as they came nearer and tried to smile. They would be gone soon. He would miss them but, in many ways, it would be easier to have them gone. He wouldn't have to think about what could have been.

It was night. Luka was stretched out on his cot with his arms folded behind his head. He played the scene from the morning out over and over in his mind. What had he missed? Why hadn't they heard - or felt - the horses? How could he have asked Abby to come here? What if it had been her in the middle of that field. He couldn't bear the thought of that. He couldn't reconcile with the fact that three children had died today either. All because he'd wanted them to play. Luka turned his head toward the pillow next to him and was surprised to see that she was still awake. They had both been busy in the clinic for the rest of the day. New babies born, dysentery...one patient after another. It had been exhausting. Yet here she was, lying on her side watching him. Her eyes shone sadly in the light from the moon overhead. The tent tarp that covered the roof of their room couldn't block out the light. Luka turned on his side and looked at her. He lifted his hand to her face and drew his thumb over her features, tracing the lines of her jaw, her lips, her chin. Abby's eyes never left his face.

"And I should have paid more attention to what was happening to me...and to Joe," she said quietly. "I should have gone right to Coburn after I fell instead of ..." Luka pressed a finger to her lips and then closed his eyes. He opened them again and tried to smile.

"It wasn't your fault," he said quietly. "You're a good doctor, Abby. You did what you had to do at that moment. It won't change anything if we try to blame ourselves." He drew her closer and held her in his arms. Abby sighed and snuggled against his chest. Luka held her until she drifted to sleep. He had barely closed his own eyes when there was a knock and the door to their room opened.

"Dr. Luka...Dr. Luka...," came a frantic whisper. Luka opened his eyes and pulled himself up.

"Dr. John sent me to tell you," Adam Mohammad said. "We are being evacuated. He is at the clinic packing medicines and the first aid kits." Luka nodded and shook Abby awake.

"Abby," he said. "We've go to go. We have to evacuate." Her eyes opened with a start and she sat up. Luka was pulling his slacks on and tossed her clothes to her.

"I'm going to help at the clinic," he said. "Stay here and pack as much food and water as you can into our bags" She nodded and grabbed the duffle bags as he kissed her quickly and ran from the room. She went to the common room and emptied the contents of the cupboards into the bags. She dragged them outside just as a jeep pulled up. Adam helped her lift the bags into the back of the jeep. She climbed in and he pulled the jeep toward the clinic doors. Luka and Carter were waiting. They piled boxes into the jeep as other relief workers filled a truck in front of them. Carter went to the truck and was shouting orders to the aides in French. Abby looked around her, wide eyed. People were already filling the road out of the refugee camp...walking hurriedly and silently away on foot...with their belongings in their arms or on bundles on their heads. Luka climbed into jeep beside her. It was still night.

"Tata's sculpture..." Abby said suddenly. "I forgot it!" Luka looked at her and then pulled himself up.

"I'll get it," he said as he jumped out of the jeep.

"Luka!" Carter cried as he moved to get in.

"Get her out of here," Luka said as he started running toward the doctors' quarters. "I'll be on the truck right behind you. Don't wait for me."

"Luka...no!" Abby called frantically as she stood up in the back of the jeep. Luka just waved and disappeared in the dust. Carter contemplated what to do. He nodded at Adam and the jeep pulled into the road and honked to warn people to move away.

"Carter! Wait for him!" she cried as she fell back into her seat.

"He said to go, Abby," Carter said firmly. "He'll be on the truck." She turned around in her seat and watched the hospital compound fade as the jeep bumped along the road.


	4. Chapter 4

Abby checked the saline drips and the IVs on the four little girls that were sharing the two beds on either side of her. She sat back on her stool and smiled as she rubbed one back at a time and brushed away the ever present flies. She looked up as Carter approached and her face fell as he shook his head. It had been 36 hours since they'd arrived at this refugee compound, forty since they left the other one. There was still no word about Luka.

The truck had arrived about an hour after them and Luka was not with them. They hadn't known to wait for him so they'd left. Left him behind. Abby was frantic when she found out. It was all Carter could do to keep her from taking a jeep and going out to look for him herself. Instead he pulled her into the hospital. With the influx of new refugees pouring in, they were needed.

"How are they doing?" he asked quietly. Abby shrugged.

"They're dehydrated," she said. "Obviously. They don't know how long they have been walking. How old are they, Carter? Five...maybe six years old?" She shook her head and brushed another fly away.

"At least they made it here before they were raped," he said. She looked up at him and he nodded slowly.

"That's what I've been doing, " he said. "These people are vicious, Abby. That's why you need to go." She frowned.

"I told you before," she said. "I'm not leaving without Luka."

"You may not have a choice. Your passport..."

"My passport is fine," she said. She turned back to the girls on the bed. John studied her for a moment and shook his head. She was so stubborn. Relief workers were leaving by the plane load. They were either headed home or to other, less volatile, locations. His gut feeling told him to get her on a plane to Chicago. His heart told him to get her out of here...to safety.

"I could talk to someone about your passport, you know," he said. 'I could have it revoked." Abby stood up so quickly that the stool over turned and clattered to the floor.

"And you wouldn't do that, would you?" she said, her brown eyes smoldering with anger. John shook his head in frustration.

"If you were my wife..." he started.

"I'm not," she said. "And I never will be. You had your chance once so stop with all these...bizarre...fantasies that you've been having." She turned and stalked away from him. John was stunned. Was it that obvious? How could she have possibly known? Even while they were on the jeep his first concern was how he would protect her. Take care of her. Rescue her. Then when they'd learned that Luka hadn't made it onto the truck they became even more intense. He wanted to put her in a shell somewhere until he was ready to take Luka's place. He imagined them together in Paris...in Chicago...back here... working side by side...like she'd done with Luka. They had an unspoken harmony with one another. He wanted that as well. And with her again. John looked around the crowded hospital ward and sighed heavily. She was right. He had had his chance.

Abby made her way through the crowded hospital corridors and found the front doors. This camp had been in place longer and was bigger. The hospital facilities were more permanent than where they had been. She had actually been able to take a shower...and try to sleep. That hadn't been easy. She'd thought about going out looking for him. Then she realized that if he were looking for her it would be easier to be found if she stayed in one place. And she knew he was looking for her.

Abby was surprised to find the bench beside the hospital's entrance empty. Usually people were lined up at the doors waiting to be seen. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against the rough building wall. She watched the people passing in front of her but she wasn't seeing them. She was seeing him.

She saw the Luka of their very first kiss in the ambulance bay...the Luka of their first date and his laughing frustration at not being able to master the foosball game...the Luka who galloped around the bases on a foul ball...the Luka who loved to tease her and cook for her...the Luka that was so patient with her... that cried with her when their son was born too early and then died...the Luka who took her hand and begged her to marry him and come here...so they could heal together. She looked up as Carter held out a bottle of water. She sighed and took it from him.

"It's always been Luka, hasn't it?" he asked as he sat next to her on the bench. She shrugged as she opened the bottle and took a drink.

"I don't know," she said. "There was a brief moment in time when I thought it was you." Carter laughed.

"Brief?" he said. "More like fleeting..." She looked at him and smiled carefully.

"It was more than that, John, and you know it." Carter looked at her for a moment and then nodded. He opened his own bottle of water and took a drink. He screwed the cap back on before he spoke.

"Think we could have made it, Abby? You and I?" She didn't respond. He sighed and stood up.

"You need to get out of here," he said. "You need to go home."

"I'm not going without my husband," she said calmly as she tossed the water bottle back and forth from one hand to the other. Carter shook his head in angry frustration.

"Do you think that I wouldn't bring him back to you?" he cried. "I did it once before." She looked up at him for a long moment and then swallowed.

"I'm going for a walk," she said as she stood up and headed down the short pathway to the trodden street. John watched her go and shook his head.


	5. Chapter 5

She tried to get some sleep. She really did. Debbie had wanted her to take some sleeping pills but Abby had refused. It was medication they'd need for someone else. She wandered through the wards and helped out when she could. She finally managed to rest when she sat in a dilapidated rocker with feverish baby in her lap. She fell asleep amidst a tangle of IV lines. The nurses were so happy to see both of them finally sleeping that they left her there until morning.

There was still no information about Luka. Officials from the L'Alliance sent word that the area they had been had been over run by militant raiders. The area was still too volatile to send someone in search of any survivors. Abby showered and changed into some borrowed scrubs. She washed her own clothes in the bathroom sink and hung them on the clothesline in the sun of the staff's private courtyard to dry.

"Dr. Lockhart." Abby turned as she hung the last of her laundry on the line.

"It's Kovac," she corrected. "'Dr. Kovac." The French aide looked in confusion at the plastic pocket with her identification papers that Abby wore around her neck.

"We were married in Croatia before we arrived in Sudan," she explained. "There wasn't time to change my passport." The aide nodded.

"Dr. Carter sent me to find you," she said. They need you in the clinic." Abby sighed and nodded. She knew what that meant. Carter had his hands full with female patients. They didn't like being examined by a male doctor. Abby had learned from the beginning that her mere presence was highly regarded...and needed.

She could hear the screams long before she reached the doors of the clinic. She hurried into the nearest exam room and stopped. Carter was trying to staunch the bleeding of a young girl. He looked up as Abby stepped inside the curtains.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I know you have other things on your mind but..."

"Go..." she ordered as she pulled on a pair of gloves and pressed her hands over his. "Go on...leave..." Carter nodded an pulled his hands out from under her's and left the exam room. Abby lifted the gauze pad and winced as she saw the deep machete cuts that crossed both of the girl's thighs. She nodded toward the nurse who had inserted an IV line into the girl's restrained left arm. The nurse took her place with the new gauze sponges replacing the soaked pads and Abby moved up to the girl's head.

"Has she had morphine yet?" The nurse nodded.

"I just pushed it."

"Hey...," Abby said softly as she pressed her stethoscope to the girl's chest. "It's okay...it's okay..." Her voice was soft and soothing and the girl slowly stopped writhing and screaming. Her large, terrified eyes rested on Abby's face. Abby smiled sympathetically and rubbed the girl's cheek.

"We're going to take care of you," she said. "It's okay..." It was only a moment before the girl lapsed into a deep sleep as the medication she had received kicked in.

"Abby?" Carter said from the other side of the curtain.

"She's out," Abby said. Carter came in with several suture kits in his hands.

"Do you think we can do this here?" she asked. He nodded.

"We're going to have to," he said. "Surgeons are all tied up. There was an attack on a village close by." They worked in companionable silence as they used a multitude of layered stitches to close the girl's wounds. More than once Carter looked up to watch her face for a second or two. She was serious and absorbed in her work.

"There's really no hope for her here now, is there?"

"What do you mean?" Carter said as he held up the suture needle for the nurse to clip the self absorbing thread close. He bent to take another stitch.

"What is she? Maybe twelve? She's been raped...these cuts will be a reminder of that forever. She'll never get a husband with these scars. No family. No schools to attend... There's no hope." Carter looked up at her curiously.

"She won't be alone...unfortunately, " he said. Abby arched her back and sighed.

"Ready to go home?" Carter asked. Abby rolled her eyes and glared at him. He shrugged.

"Ehh...I thought it was worth a try." Abby finished her last suture and pulled the bloodied gloves off her hands. She examined the IV bag and asked for an antibiotic addition. The nurse left as Carter finished his last suture. He tossed the blood soaked gauzes and bandages into the red trash can and pulled off his gloves. He gazed down at the girl on the gurney and smiled at Abby's gentle movements as she adjusted the sheet covering her and checked the IVs. She used her stethoscope again and then noticed him watching her. She smiled.

"You are a damn good doctor, Abby," he said softly. The nurse entered and handed Abby a small IV bag with antibiotics. She hung the bag and added the line to the saline drip that was already there. Carter ordered the dressings for the girl's wounds and the two of them walked out of the curtained area. Carter reached over and draped an arm across her shoulders. He drew her closer and leaned in to kiss her. Abby cringed slightly and slipped away from him carefully.

"Don't...do that again...please," she said. Carter dropped his arms to his sides and stared after her as she crossed her arms across her chest and walked away from him.

Abby headed back to the courtyard to see if her clothes were dry. The sun was so hot that it shouldn't take too long. She pulled her khaki slacks and cami off the line and folded them. Her thoughts were racing. Damn him. She wasn't leaving without Luka and Carter was making it very difficult for her to be around _him_.

She changed into her clothes and tossed the bloodied scrubs into the hospital's laundry basket. **Damn him.** As if she didn't have enough to be worried about...thinking about right now. _Where_ was Luka? She didn't know how much longer she would be able to hold on here. Abby took a deep breath and tried to settle her troubled thoughts. He was fine. She felt he was fine. She **knew** he was fine. It was just a matter of time before he'd be back. The question was, how much time?

She wandered out the gate of the courtyard and into the teeming camp. There was a parade coming down the road in front of the hospital. A tribal dance of some sort with a crowd of people behind it. Abby stepped up onto a rock to see and smiled as she watched the cascade of colorful robes and head dresses pass by. Her eyes scanned the crowd of faces. This camp was in the depths of despair and they still found a way to celebrate. It spoke volumes about the human spirit. Then her heart leaped to her throat and her head began to pound.

She saw him before he saw her. Luka was climbing out of a jeep that was dropping him off at the end of the crowd of people that were following the dancers. Abby stepped off the rock and carefully made her way through the crowd moving in the opposite direction. When the crowd had gone she was standing alone on the packed road. She stood still with her arms crossed across her chest waiting for him to see her. He looked up and grinned. Abby started walking quickly toward him and then began to run. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she came closer and slowed down.

"Where the hell have you been?" she said.

"Looking for you..." he shrugged with a smile. "We left the compass at home."

She sighed heavily and moved into his arms. Luka wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She lifted her face to his and he grinned as he bent his head to kiss her. She was safe again. He was back.


	6. Chapter 6

Abby sat next to the bed watching him sleep. Luka was stretched out on top of the sheets with his hand opened toward her. She smiled and fingered the bronze sculpture that she held in her lap. Tata's scuplture. The bronze bowl with the water lily settled inside. The cause of all of her worry and frustration for the past three days.

He'd filled her knapsack with water bottles and first aid supplies when he realized that he'd been left behind. He set out on the road with the other refugees but had been diverted to another camp to the south by fighting. It had taken another day to find them again and to convince someone to drive him to her.

She'd had to literally peel the socks off his feet. She looked at them now. There were oozing blisters everywhere. She'd cleaned them, soaked them and covered them with an antibiotic ointment. She'd also convinced him to let her run an IV with electrolytes for him. He was dehydrated. The water he carried hadn't lasted long with so many others needing it as well. She looked up as there was a light tapping on the door. It opened and Carter stepped inside. Their eyes met and she frowned slightly.

"How is he?" he asked quietly, ignoring her look.

"Dehydrated, " she said. "Whined like a baby when I put the IV in." Carter winced as he looked at the blisters on his feet.

"I've contacted the L'Alliance officials. They're making exit arrangements for the two of you." Abby nodded.

"Are you going to go right back to Chicago?" She shook her head.

"Croatia first," she said. "We have things to pick up, family to see again." It surprised her how desperately she wanted to see them...Tata...her brothers in law...their wives and children. Carter nodded and looked at her for a long moment.

"Abby," he cleared his throat. "I...uh..." She held up her hand to stop him as she looked at Luka. Carter's heart broke as she brushed a fly away from Luka's face and swept a finger through the hair on his forehead.

"Don't say it, John," she said quielty. "There's nothing you can say that will fix this."

"I'm not trying to fix anything," he said quietly. "I'm not going to apologize for loving you." Abby looked up at him with an angry fire burning in her brown eyes.

"You...are like a little boy who always wants the toys he can't have. Once you have it, you toss it away," she whispered. "I am not one of those toys. Now, please leave."

"Abby..."

"I have no intention of telling Luka about any of this. He has a lot of admiration and respect for you. I'm not going to ruin that. But, I want you to stay the hell away from me." Carter's eyes widened and then he frowned. He started to say something but then turned away and was gone. She sighed and then stood up and checked the nearly empty saline bag. Sheleft the room to get another one.

Luka's eyes opened carefully and he blinked. And to think that he'd been worried about her. He'd actually prayed that Carter would take care of her...keep her safe. He wasn't sure what had happened between the two of them but Abby could definitely take care of herself. Luka suppressed a happy grin as he chuckled softly. Definitely.


	7. Chapter 7

Luka sighed and shifted in the airplane seat uncomfortably. After so many weeks away you would think he'd be glad for the soft cushioning but instead it made him sore. He glanced over at Abby in the seat next to him. He smiled a little to himself remembering the scene at the hospital when they'd said their good byes to Carter. Abby had been deep in a discussion with Debbie. They'd found a boarding school in Chad with room for one of Abby's patients. Abby had arranged for tuition for the school year and Debbie was going to transport her there as soon as the machete wounds had healed sufficiently. Luka glanced at her slyly and gave Carter a gentle shove.

"Ah...go on, Carter," he said as Abby looked up. "She won't bite you." John hadn't looked so sure. Abby hugged Debbie and then looked up in confusion as John approached her. He just shrugged and tipped his head toward Luka. Luka grinned as Carter kissed her quickly on the cheek. Abby looked angry and Luka was enjoying every second of the picture before him. He especially enjoyed it because he knew now that John Carter would never come between the two of them ever again. He snickered again now just remembering.

"What are you laughing about?" Abby asked. Luka shrugged. He just leaned over and kissed her lightly and threaded his fingers through her's.

"Would you do this again?" he asked her. Abby's eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully.

"Yes," she said. "I think I would." Luka sighed happily and settled back in his seat.

"But, I think I'd like to somewhere else," she continued. "Some place with working showers. Maybe a nice refugee camp in, oh, St. Thomas...or how about Switzerland? Aspen, Colorado? We could treat all those ski injuries." He laughed and turned his head to look at her again. She was smiling and it was so good to see the mischievious twinkle back in her eyes. They sat quietly together for the rest of the flight, enjoying the feel of their hands clasped, heads touching and lost in their separate thoughts.

They were all waiting for them at the airport when they disembarked. Laurentis, Zoran, Andro, Valerija, Jelena and Natasya. What a scene they made! Luka had roared when his brothers picked him up and deposited him in a waiting wheelchair. Laurentis tapped his eldest son's shoulder stubbornly and pushed him back again when Luka tried to stand. He knelt as he examined the bandages on his son's sandaled feet. He looked up at Abby as she was being hugged all around.

"He's fine, Tata," she said. "Believe me. I've checked everything and it's all in good working order." Laurentis looked up at her in surprise and then smiled as he shook his finger at her. He opened his arms and drew her in for a hug. Abby sighed happily and hugged him.

"I think they're happier to see you than me," Luka moaned playfully as he put on the jacket Jelena held out for him. Zoran took Abby's knapsack, which was the only piece of luggage they had and laughed as Luka cried out again. Andro was tearing down the tarmac pushing the wheelchair at a breakneck speed toward the street and their waiting cars. People were scattering in their path. Valerija and Jelena just shook their heads and followed. Abby sighed happily and put her coat on. She and clung to her father in law's hand on one side and her niece's on the other as they followed the others. Natasya was skipping to keep up with them. It was good to be home.

It was wonderful to be back in Tata's wide bed together. Abby was still as Luka crawled under the thick winter comforter and pulled her close to him. She was smiling as she thought about the evening with his family. She hadn't been able to keep up with the language but had enjoyed the laughter and the good food. Everything tasted so good. They had outdone themselves filling the table with fruits and fresh vegetables.

"I think our niece has a new heroine," Luka said quietly. "She didn't leave your side all evening." Abby smiled as she thought about Natasya's attempts to translate everything for her. She was proud of her school girl English skills.

"She wants to be a doctor," Abby mused. "She wants to work in Africa some day too."

"She'll probably do it," Luka sighed softly. His hand caressed Abby's waist and slipped down on to her belly. His finger tips gently traced the scar from her hysterectomy and he felt her tense. Luka lifted his hand to her chin and tipped her face toward him. She turned so she was flat on her back and looked at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm scared, Luka," she said. "I don't want to go home." His eyes searched her's and he frowned slightly.

"Do you want to leave County...now?" he asked. She nodded as her eyes filled and then shook her head.

"I don't know," she said quietly. "I just don't want to go home." Luka lay back against the pillows and gathered her against his chest. He kissed the top of her head and just held her.

"We have to face it sometime, Abby," he said finally. "I won't let you do anything alone. I promise. But we need to go back so you can finish your residency. " She sighed and nodded against his chest. Luka smiled softly and brushed the dark hair off her face. He bent his head to her's to kiss her. Abby closed her eyes and lifted her hands to his face. She squealed suddenly as he tickled her ribs.

"Luka!" she cried. "Tata..."

"He's dead asleep in his studio," Luka muttered as he nibbled playfully on her shoulder and neck. She laughed and drew his face back to her's.

Out on the sofa Laurentis smiled softly as he drew another drag on his cigarette. He listened for a moment to the muffled laughter coming from his bedroom and picked up the water lily sculpture from his table. He smiled remembering the lover he had had in his own wife. He'd worried for Luka when Danijela died. It was good not to worry any more. He crushed out the cigarette and smiled again as stood up and headed for the couch in his studio.


	8. Chapter 8

The door to Tata's studio stood open. That was a first. She wandered to the doorway and peeked inside. The room stretched the entire length of the apartment. One wall at the end was devoted to window glass that allowed the afternoon sun to flood the room with light. There were several large easels standing in front of the window. On the other end was a counter with a clay block covered with wet gauze and then plastic. There were bottles and jars with tight fitting lids on shelves over the counter and several containers with carving tools, brushes and other implements. She also recognized a potter's wheel. While the art in the rest of the apartment was tastefully displayed, it was all over, covering every spare inch of space, in this room. There were unframed canvases, finished and unfinished, hanging on, and stacked against the walls on the floor. She meandered quietly to one stack and smiled as she carefully pulled them forward to look at them.

"You like them?" Tata's voice startled her and Abby jumped. He chuckled and motioned her to the easel in front of him with his paint brush.

"Come and see," he said with a smile. Abby circled the wooden easel curiously and caught her breath as she saw what he was working on. It was an acrylic portrait of them - she and Luka. He'd painted her face in the middle, looking slightly off to the side with a smile teasing her lips and eyes. Luka's face was behind her's, a huge smile on his lips as he looked off in the other direction. His hand was on her shoulder and her fingers clutching his.

"It's...beautiful," she said as she studied the painting...and it was.

"For your home," Tata said with a satisfied smile. Abby looked at him in surprise.

"Thank you, Tata," she said softly as she leaned in to kiss his cheek. She turned back to the portrait as he wrapped an arm around her waist and hugged her.

"It's hard to go back," she said. Laurentis nodded. He squeezed her closer for a moment.

"You will be together," he said. '...you and my son." Abby nodded.

"He was alone always when he left me again," Laurentis went on. "I ...worry? Now, not so much." He took his arm from her and put the brush back in his tray and picked up another one.

"My Luka was like his mother...always laughing...always playing tricks...so...so...ometanje...as a little boy and a young man. I have missed that." He cast a sly grin at her.

"Now maybe that comes back? And it will be...your problem?" Abby chuckled and kissed her father in law's cheek again.

"Hey," Luka called as they heard the apartment door open and close again. "Where are you?"

"In here, " Abby called. Luka stuck his head through the doorway into the studio.

"He let you come in while he was working?" Laurentis frowned and threw his hands up. Abby laughed and moved to kiss Luka. He held up a travel folder.

"I got our tickets," he said. Abby nodded slowly and her smile faded. Luka caressed her cheek for a second and looked around the studio.

"Tata," he said with a grin. "You have nothing on the wheel." Laurentis shrugged and went back to finishing the painting before him. Luka took Abby's hand and pulled her toward the counter where the clay was kept.

"Have you ever done a pot on a wheel?" Abby shook her head. Luka grinned and slipped his feet out of his canvas shoes and smiled as he took a lump of wet clay from the air tight container under the counter. He plopped it in the center of the wheel and filled a cup with water from the small sink. He sat on the stool in front of the wheel and set it in motion with his feet.

"Come on," he said as he pulled her reluctantly into his lap.

"Luka," she protested. "I took PE so I wouldn't have to take Art class."

"Come on," he pleaded. It's easy...like in that movie..."

"Okay...Okay," she said. Luka took her hands and placed them under his on the clay. She giggled as he nuzzled her ear.

"Pour some more water on the clay," he directed softly. "It will make slip...easier to work with."

"Like this?" She dribbled water onto the turning clay and he nodded as his feet kept the wheel moving. He took her hands again and worked the clay with her, whispering and nuzzling as shenestled happily in his lap.

Laurentis finished his work on the portrait and set about cleaning the brushes he'd been using. He pulled his stool slightly to the side so he could watch them. Bah! Luka had no skill as a potter. It was a good thing he had found his niche in medicine. The poor misshapen bowl was nothing to sniff at, but Laurentis knew he would fire it...and glaze it...and keep it in a special place. He would hold the memory of them making it forever. He smiled and shook his head.

A week later, Abby looked at the portrait on the shelf in the middle of their apartment wall and smiled. It still needed a frame but she didn't care. It brought a little bit of Croatia to the room. Luka watched her for a moment and then set the fruit bowl and muffin on the table.

"Come and have some breakfast," he said. She shook her head.

"I can't eat," she said quietly.

"It's going to be a long day for both of us," Luka said. "Please? I'll feel better if you eat something." Abby rolled her eyes and sat at the table with him. Luka poured her a cup of coffee and waited for her to take a bite of the muffin. Abby obliged him and frowned slightly as he watched her eat.

"Are you calculating my calories again?" she asked. Luka shrugged and grinned.

"Busted!" he said. "You're losing weight." Abby rolled her eyes and ate a spoonful of fruit pieces.

"What did Kerry say when you told her to put us on the schedule again?" she asked. Luka shrugged.

"She was happy to have us back and a little worried that we'll have a hard time getting back into the swing of things, I think she said." Abby shook her head.

"County has nothing on Darfur," she sighed. She looked at him and smiled. It had only been a few weeks and yet it seemed like a life time ago. Luka grinned softly and they finished their meal in silence.

"I'm going to change my shoes," she said as she took a last sip of coffee. He nodded and sighed as he went through the papers in his bag. He didn't see her stop in front of the closed door and then slip inside.

Abby looked around the room they had designated as the nursery. The box with the crib leaned against the wall. They hadn't even had a chance to set it up. Her hand tipped the wooden rocker they had gotten and she smiled as it rocked slowly. Luka pushed open the door.

"Are you ready?" he asked grimly.

"Why did you marry me, Luka?" she asked quietly without looking at him.

"What?' he said with a low chuckle as he studied her back, the set of her shoulders.

"Why would you want to be with me and not someone that could give you a child again? Is it guilt? Because if it is..." Luka stopped her as he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her gently to him.

"Abby," he said quietly. He tipped her chin up so he could look into her eyes. She met his gaze and then looked away. He smiled and brushed the dark hair away from her face.

"The day that Josip was born I was faced with two things...life without a child and life without you." He kissed her gently.

"I was much more frightened about spending my life without you.". Abby looked up at him sadly and sighed.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"No," she said. Luka smiled and drew her close into a hug.

"Come on," he said. "We'll be late." She sighed again and wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked out of the room together.

She was quiet as they sat together on the El. Luka held her hand firmly and she smiled. It was just a short walk to the ambulance bay but her feet felt like lead. How many times had they taken this walk together? How many times had she taken it with Neela...and alone? Had she never dreaded seeing those doors as much as she did today? Abby stopped in her tracks as they passed the coffee truck. The smell, usually a comforting, delicious one overwhelmed her this morning. A wave of nausea swept over her and she pulled her hand from Luka's and stepped closer to the wall inside the bay area. She leaned over and vomited. Luka stepped in front of her, shielding her from the gaze of passerbys and shook his head.

"Maybe today isn't the right time," he said quietly and handed her a clean handkerchief from his pocket.

"No," she said. "I made it this far. I need to go inside, Luka." She wiped her mouth on his handkerchief and slipped it into the pocket of her coat.

"Abby," he said worriedly.

"I'm fine," she said. "Come on." She took his hand again and pulled him toward the ambulance bay doors.

"Abby!" Chuny was the first to see them. "Welcome home! You have **no** idea how good it is to have you two back again!" She hugged Abby and then headed hurriedly down the hall with a saline bag and clipboard in her hands.

"Dr. Kovac!" Jerry high fived Luka and reached out to hug Abby. "Good to see you back!'

'You too, Jerry," Luka grinned. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, well, nothing like a little gunshot to help you see how many friends you have," he smiled. "Everything is fine."

"Well, it's about time you two decided to grace our halls again," Kerry Weaver said as she took her glasses off and approached the admit counter. "I send you off to Croatia and **eight** weeks later you decide to return?"

"I told you what was happening," Luka said flatly as he looked up at the patient board.

'Yeah, well all the letters of appreciation and commendations from your L'Alliance aren't really helpful when I am understaffed here at County, " she continued.

"It was something we needed to do, Kerry," Luka said evenly as he sifted through the papers in a basket on the counter. "We're here now." Kerry glared at him and then turned to Abby. She smiled and hugged her.

"I'm glad you're back," she said. "We've missed you...**I've** missed you." Abby nodded and forced a smile.

"I'm going to go change," she said. "Do you still keep toothpaste in your locker?" Luka nodded.

"I'll bring you a jacket," she said. Luka took his coat off and gave it to her. Abby smiled and turned toward the call room and lockers.

"How is she doing?" Kerry asked Luka quietly.

"She lost what little breakfast she did eat outside in the ambulance bay," he said grimly. "But she'll be fine. One step at a time, right?" Kerry nodded.

"Go a little easy on her for a while," she said. "Eight weeks is a long time."

"She did fine in Darfur," Luka said.

"Don't remind me about that," Kerry groaned as she walked off. Jerry snickered and Luka grinned.

Abby turned the combination on Luka's locker and opened the door. She hung his jacket inside and tossed a clean lab coat over her shoulder. She searched the shelf for his toothpaste and then turned to shut the door again. Her eyes landed on the polaroid picture he had taped to the door with surgical tape. Abby smiled slightly and touched it with her finger tips. It must have been taken by the NICU staff when Josip first arrived there. He was so tiny. So helpless. She sighed and shut the locker again. She slipped into the bathroom to rinse the taste of vomit from her mouth.


	9. Chapter 9

Luka sighed and rifled through the stack of papers and files in front of him on the desk. It had been a slow day. The kind of day which only months ago would have found him bounding up the stairs to NICU at every opportunity. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out the envelope he kept there. He spilled the photo contents onto the pile of papers in front of him and smiled as he picked them up one by one and examined them again. Josip in his incubator...with Abby... with Maggie...with him...intubated...close up...sleeping...in every possible shot he could create with his camera. He hadn't been able to get enough of his little boy. He sighed sadly and then looked up as Abby opened the door and stuck her head in.

"Busy?" she asked. Luka shook his head and gathered up the photos. She crossed the small office and sat on the corner of his desk.

"It's so quiet out there," she complained as she took the pictures from him. "They won't let me do anything."

"They care about you," he said as he watched her flip through the pictures. She smiled slightly and held up one of the prints. It was a picture of Josip nestled on his bare chest. She'd taken it for him one day in NICU.

"Can I have this one?" Luka nodded and took the picture from her. He tapped it on his finger tips and sighed.

"I miss him right now," Luka said quietly. "I really, really miss him." Abby slipped down from her seat on the desk and moved closer to him. Luka wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her nearer till his head rested against her chest. Abby's arms circled his shoulders and she held him close. She leaned her head down on top of his and closed her eyes. It was so easy to get lost in her own feeling and needs...and the care that he lavished on her. But, he'd lost a child too.

Kerry opened the door to the ER Chief's office without thinking. She'd been using it while Luka was gone and had gotten used to just walking right in. They weren't aware of her standing there, they were so lost in each other. She backed out quietly and closed the door again. Budget meeting be damned. They'd gone this long without his presence. What was one more meeting?

It was a long time before Luka's grasp on her relaxed and he looked up at her. His eyes were wet. He sighed and then smiled. Abby pulled a tissue out of her pocket and wiped his eyes. She kissed him and Luka hugged her. Abby's pager beeped and she pulled it out of her pocket and looked at it.

"Neela's out of surgery and she's meeting me in the cafeteria for some lunch. Wanna come?" Luka stood up and shook his head.

"I've got a budget meeting...right now." He checked his watch. "I'll ride up in the elevator with you." She nodded and waited while he gathered up the papers and files he would need for the meeting. They walked to the elevator hand in hand and he dropped her off at the 6th floor. Abby stood on tip toe and kissed his cheek before stepping off the elevator. Luka grinned and lifted his hand in a wave as the doors closed again.

Neela was already seated at a table with two bowls of soup when Abby entered the Physicians' dining area. She waved and Neela stood up.

"I am so glad you're back," Neela said as she embraced Abby warmly. "I've missed you." Abby hugged her and smiled as she sat at the table across from her.

"How does it feel to have actual foreign stamps in your passport?" Neela asked. Abby laughed.

"Scarey..." she said.

"And Luka's family?"

"Wonderful..."

"Dr. Carter?"

"Umm...he's...happy."

"Desert living?" Abby laughed.

"Well, let's just say that desert sands and a thong do not make good partners." Neela chuckled.

"Would you go back?"

"In a heart beat."

"Really? Kerry was quite...perturbed...when Luka called to say you were going to Darfur. I think she was worried about you." Abby laughed again. 'Perturbed' was hardly the word Luka used when he described Kerry's reaction to that telephone call. Neela was smiling at her and took a spoonful of soup in her mouth.

"How are you doing?" Abby asked and broke off a piece of a roll from the plate in the center of their table. Neela shrugged.

"Taking it day by day," she said quietly. "You know..." Abby nodded.

"Surgery is so intense that it helps keep your mind off things," Neela went on. "I;m working all the time." She stopped when she noticed the gold band on Abby's finger. She picked up Abby's hand and tapped the ring with her thumb.

"Abby..." she said. "When did this happen?" Abby's smile broadened.

"In Croatia...just before we left for Darfur."

"And you haven't told anyone?" Abby shrugged.

"I guess we...forgot?" Neela scoffed happily.

"Tell me about it. I want to hear about everything!" Abby sighed and launched into an animated conversation about Croatia, Tata and the rest of Luka's family, Darfur... Neela sat and absorbed it all, just happy to have her friend back again. There was so much they shared.


	10. Chapter 10

Abby sighed as she looked over the boxes and boxes of medical supplies she and Chuny had just sorted and organized on the racks in the drug lock up. It wasn't necessarily a job she would be expected to do but she'd volunteered to help in the lull.

"It's so amazing," she said as she shook her head. 'We have no clue how lucky we have it here." Chuny rolled her eyes.

"Compared to who?" she laughed. Abby shrugged. Hard to explain. How could you really tell someone about scavenging supplies and scrimping on meds because you had so little to work with? She didn't really absorb it when Luka...and Carter...would tell her about their Congo experiences. Darfur had definitely changed her perspective on things.

" I wanted to buy a new couch," she mused. "You know, something new to lighten up the...bat cave...that we live in?" Chuny chuckled and crouched down to straighten the boxes on the lower shelf. "I started looking through some catalogs and couldn't believe the prices. All I could think of was how many vials of antibiotics I could buy for the cost of this one...or how many suture kits could be assembled for the cost of that one." She sighed and shrugged. "I threw the catalogs away."

"We need to restock the Compazine too," Chuny said. Abby made a notation on the clipboard near by.

"What kind of hospital did you work in while you were there?" Chuny asked. Abby chuckled.

"Hospital? It was more like a clinic...in the middle of 20,000 people...in tents. We had six doctors, eight nurses, a couple of French aides and a medical director from the L'Alliance. There was a line at the door from the moment the sun rose until it set at night," Abby said. " We shared this house of mud walls with tarps stretched over the top for a roof. There was no electricity except for the generator we used in the clinic. When was the last time you used instruments directly from an autoclave?" Chuny chuckled and shook her head.

"And you volunteered for this?" she shrugged.

"Sometimes I felt like I was just watching some bad movie on late night tv," Abby sighed. "And then there were other times...most of the time...when I knew that this was the reason I wanted to be a doctor. And I didn't feel so helpless any more."

"Helpless?" Chuny stood up and Abby nodded slowly.

"All those weeks in NICU...trying things and then finally letting go of Joe..." She shook her head. "I was so...shattered...and I wasn't sure that I would ever be able to get myself back together again. I know that Luka felt the same."

Kerry Weaver stopped as she noticed Luka standing against the wall next to the drug lock up's open door.

"Are you eavesdropping, Dr. Kovac?" she asked sternly. Luka grinned and nodded. He put a finger over his lips and gestured to her to be silent.

"My god, Chuny," Abby was saying, "It took three weeks in the middle of a blistering desert surrounded by people who have absolutely nothing for me to get my head on straight again. They have **nothing** and yet...life goes on."

"Well, you make a very good case for the program, Abby," Chuny laughed. "Do they accept nurses as well? Maybe I can go with you next time." Kerry frowned at Luka and put her hands on her hips.

"**Next** time?" she whispered. "Why don't we just shut our doors and you can take the entire staff with you?" Luka's eyebrows went up as he pondered that thought.

"It was a joke, Dr. Kovac," Kerry spit as she walked away. Luka grinned and shrugged as he headed back toward the admit desk.


	11. Chapter 11

"They're hungry, Morris," Dori said as she handed out packaged muffins to the three children in the chairs outside the exam room. "Mom's food stamp money ran out three days ago." Abby passed out cartons of milk and knelt down with a couple of bananas.

"Well, we can't feed them here. If word gets out that we did, we'll be feeding the entire city of Chicago." he said. "Besides, it's just a sprained wrist."

"We can give them some breakfast," Abby said with a smile.

"Just call Social Work and get some soup kitchen referrals for them." Morris went back into the exam room. He turned around suddenly and studied the bananas Abby was peeling. "Are those my bananas?" Abby shrugged.

"I found them in the fridge in the lounge." Morris groaned.

"That was my lunch!" Dori and Abby smiled at one another.

"Good choice," Dori said.

"Thank you!" Abby high fived her. Morris scowled and went back to their Mom, his patient. Abby pulled an otoscope from her pocket and checked the ears of one of the children in the chairs. She grimaced.

"Has your ear been hurting?" she asked the little boy. He nodded. Abby stood up.

"He has a broken ear drum," she said. "Let's get him on an antibiotic right away and clean that ear out. There's lots of dried pus and blood plugging it up." Dori nodded. Abby smiled as she watched the three of them eat hungrily.

"I think they could probably use a couple of lunch trays from the kitchen as well. I'll call down for some." Dori nodded again and Abby headed for the admit desk and picked up the telephone. She called the kitchen and then smiled when she gave Dori a thumbs up sign. Malik held up a clipboard.

"Double traumas coming in, Abby," he called. "GSW from a drive by." She grabbed a sterile gown from under the gurney and drew it on as Chuny, Malik and Ray waited for the ambulances to pull up.

"Twelve year old with road rash and fractured leg," the paramedic said as the stretcher was lifted from the back of the ambulance.

"I got this one," Ray said.

"The mother fu...plowed right into me," the restrained boy on the stretcher was screaming.

"Yeah and put a cap in it," the paramedic said. "You were the one holding the gun."

"You can't tell me what to do!" the kid screamed as he pulled against the restraints. Ray rolled his eyes as he and Chuny passed Abby and Malik. The second ambulance pulled up and the doors burst open.

"GSW to the right shoulder. BP is 120 over 80," the paramedic said. "The air bag deployed and he was buckled in."

"Hi, I'm Dr. Lockhart," Abby said as she pulled off her stethescope and put the ear pieces in. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Scott Kauffman...is the kid going to be all right?" the man on the gurney asked.

"He's got a broken leg but it sounds like he's going to be just fine," she smiled as she pressed the diaphragm to the man's chest. She nodded and Malik pushed the gurney toward an ER exam room. Luka was waiting for them and had pulled on a sterile gown and gloves.

"BP is 120 over 80 and good breath sounds bilaterally," she said. Luka nodded and began an assessment of the man's neck and head. Abby cut away the bloodied shirt and Malik started a large bore IV of saline in the man's left arm.

'Let's call for an x-ray," Luka said. "And we're going to need a surgical consult." Inez nodded and went to the phone. Abby looked at the bullet wound and lifted his shoulder slightly.

"There's an exit wound in the back," she said. "Scott, can you squeeze my fingers?" She placed her fingers in his right hand and he squeezed tightly.

"That's fine," she smiled.

"Can someone call my Mom?" he asked. "I was on my way to the store for her and she'll worry if I don't come home. My wallet is in my back pocket." Abby glanced at Inez and she retrieved the wallet and took it out to the admit desk.

"Man...eighteen months in Iraq without a scratch and I get shot after three days at home. Stupid kid. He has no idea how lucky he is."

"You're a soldier?" Luka asked as they rolled Scott to his side.

"A Marine," he said. The x-ray tech rolled a portable machine into the trauma room. He slid a film cartridge under Scott and Luka rolled him back gently.

"All clear," the tech said as they backed away from the table and let the machine do it's work. Neela came in just as the x-ray tech was leaving.

"What do you have?" she asked as she pulled on some sterile gloves.

"Scott Kauffman," Abby said. "Gunshot wound to the right shoulder from drive by shooting." Neela carefully examined the entrance and exit wounds.

"This is going to need some debridement," she said. "We'll give him some antibiotics right now." She listened to his breathing. "Lungs sound clear. We'll admit you to the hospital for a few days for observation and antibiotics."

"A few days?" he groaned. "I only have 10 more days of leave left. I don't want to spend them in the hospital."

"Leave?" Neela looked up at Abby.

"He's on leave from his unit in Iraq," she said quietly. Neela's eyes clouded and she sighed. She looked at Scott.

"Okay," she said. "Let's wait for the x-ray to come back and maybe...MAYBE...we'll let you go home if you promise to finish your antibiotics and come back at the slightest hint of any problems." Scott smiled.

"Okay," he said happily and sighed as he relaxed a bit. Neela looked from Abby to Luka and then left without a word. A police officer stepped into the doorway.

"Can we get a statement now?" he asked. Luka pulled his gloves off.

"Sure," he said. "I'm going to go check on those x-rays. You've got this, Abby?" She nodded and pulled a sheet up over Scott's bare chest. She listened as he spoke with the policeman, but her thoughts were on Neela.

Two hours later she sent Scott home with his Mother, his fiancee, a bag of antibiotics and a big bulky bandage over the wound in his shoulder. He'd been very, very lucky. The bullet had missed his lung, his collar bone and his shoulder blade. It was a nice way to end hier shift.

Abby smiled as she finished Scott's chart. Luka rounded the admit desk and moved behind her. She jumped as he pressed up against her and brushed her neck with a quick kiss.

"Hey!" she scolded him and looked around to see if anyone had seen them. Luka grinned.

"You got an email," he said and slipped a paper on top of the file she was holding.

"**I** did?" Luka nodded and Abby looked down. Her eyes widened and she smiled as she studied the three pictures that filled the page. There was one of Debbie standing between two little girls in school uniforms, one of the two girls together and then a closeup of just one of them. Abby blinked as she took in the huge smile of the little girl with closely cropped back curls. Her dark eyes were actually shining.

"It's Salome," she said quietly and shook her head in disbelief. "Just look at her." Luka's grin widened and he nodded.

"Read it," he said.

"Abby, Mission accomplished!" she read aloud softly. "After you left the staff at the hospital took up a collection so we could send Mary Ruth to school with Salome. For now, anyway, the girls will have one another for support. Sometimes we are most struck by the enormity of the situation here. Thank you for reminding us that we **can** make a difference to at least one of the star fish we toss back into the sea. I will write again soon. All my love to you and to Luka, Debbie." Abby blinked back tears and looked up at Luka.

"She's beautiful," she sighed as she studied the photos again.

"And happy," Luka added. Abby leaned in close and Luka wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

"Is something wrong?" Neela asked as she approached them.

"Something is very, very right," Abby sighed. She pulled away from him gently. "Remember one of the patients that I treated in Darfur? The little girl with the machete slices on her legs?" Neela nodded and Abby showed her the email.

"She's in school," she said. Neela looked at the pictures and smiled.

"That's wonderful, Abby." Abby nodded and folded the email and slipped it into her lab coat pocket.

"Christmas will be here before long," she said. "Maybe we can put together a box for them." Luka nodded and watched as she picked up another chart and headed off to another exam room with a little bounce in her step.

"Think one of us ought to tell us that her shift is over?" Neela asked.

"Naw..." Luka said with a smile. "I'll let her handle one more patient before I drag her home."


	12. Chapter 12

They walked out of the hospital together - Abby, Luka and Neela - and headed the short walk to Ryan's for a bite to eat. They had just settled and ordered when Luka's pager sounded. He checked it and went to make a phone call.

"Ahhhh...I've got to go back for a bit," he complained as he came back for his jacket. "They're wrapping my sandwich so I can take it with me." He kissed Abby. "See you at home?" Abby nodded and watched him stop at the bar to pick up the take out bag and then waved as he left. She turned back to Neela who had been watching their exchange. Neela sighed, picked up her drink and took a hefty swallow.

"So, how do we get through all of this, Abby?" Abby eyed the drink glass and then glanced back at her friend.

"Are you working tomorrow?" she asked. Neela shook her head.

"Nope," she said. "I'm off for the next two days in fact. Dubenko's orders."

"Smart man," Abby said and leaned back as a bit as the waiter put a large salad bowl in front of her.

"About some things," Neela shrugged. "Could I have another one of these, please?" She tapped her glass and the waiter nodded. Neela picked at the wrap sandwich in front of her and sighed.

"How do you do it?" she asked again. Abby chuckled.

"Neela, you took the same psych classes I did. You know all about the stages of grief." Neela chuckled and took another drink.

"So what stage are you in these days?" Abby frowned slightly at her and sat back in her chair. Neela sighed.

"Oh bullocks, I'm sorry," she said quietly. "That was thoughtless of me." Abby leaned forward and squeezed her hand.

"We'll get through it," she said. "I promise."

"I don't know if I can," Neela said as tears brimmed over her eyelids. "It's lonely. No one around me really understands. I hate Michael right now. It breaks my heart but I hate him." She picked up her glass and tossed the alcohol to the back of her throat. Abby studied her for a moment and then picked up her fork.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Neela said. "Aren't you going to scold me for hating someone that would give his life for this country? Don't you hate me for feeling like this about him? A bloody hero?"

"Oh, I think you're doing a fine job hating yourself," Abby said as she took a bite of her salad. "You don't really need my help." Neela scowled and picked up her glass again.

"I do know that **that** isn't going to make you feel better," Abby nodded toward the glass.

"But it does," Neela said. "I feel...numb."

"Yeah, well...call me in the morning and let me know how you feel."

"I will do that, Dr. Lockhart," Neela spit sarcastically. "Or should I say Dr. Kovac? Are you planning to use **your** husband's name these days?"

"Oh, I think Abby will do," she said brightly and took another bite. "Eat something, Neela." Neela scowled at her and picked up her sandwich. She took a bite and chewed. Abby smiled.

An hour later Abby used the key to open the door of her old apartment. She followed Neela inside and slipped her coat off her shoulders. She threw it down on the couch and looked around. The furniture was the same. It had been rented with the apartment when she'd had it. Neela had definitely madethe placeher own in the past few months. It was a weird kind of feeling considering all of the years she had spent here before her. Neela flipped through the mail she had carried in and then dropped the envelopes onto the table.

'Want something to drink?" she asked. Abby shook her head.

"I thought I'd get the coffeemaker going," she said. Neela nodded.

"I'm going to take a shower." She looked at her friend. 'You don't really have to stay with me, you know. I'll be fine."

"I want to," Abby said. "We have some catching up to do and Luka will probably be at the hospital most of the night anyway." Neela nodded. She stopped at the bedroom door and turned around.

"Michael isn't here," she said. "In this apartment, I mean. At Ray's, he was everywhere...the bathroom...the kitchen...my bed. I can even see him at the hospital sometimes. But I can't feel him here at all."

"Maybe that's a good thing," Abby said quietly. Neela nodded sadly and went into the bedroom. Abby listened for the shower to start and then took her cell phone out of her purse. She pushed the speed dial for Luka's number and waited for him to answer.

"Where are you?" Luka said without waiting for her to speak. "I just got home and was looking for you."

"I'm at Neela's," she said. "I think I need to stay with her for the night." There was nothing on the other end.

"I'll make it up to you?" shewheedled quietly.

"How?" he said. Abby supressed a grin. "How are you going to make it up to me?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can think of something," she said.

"Are you going to..."

"Shut up!" she giggled. "Would you please just bring me some fresh clothes when you come to the hospital tomorrow? My navy slacks are hanging in the closet."

"Can I pick out the underwear?"

"Luka!"

"Well, I was thinking about that black thing...the teddy?"

"Oh, yeah...that one would be real comfortable to wear all day...not!"

"Soo...I'll take it off for you." Abby shook her head and grinned. This conversation was only going to get worse.

"Good night, Luka." He chuckled.

"I'll miss you," he sighed softly.

"Me too..." Abby smiled and turned off the cell phone.


	13. Chapter 13

Abby rounded the admit desk and took a look at the patient board.

"Has Luka signed in yet?" she asked. Sam looked up from the computer.

"I don't think so," she said. "He didn't come in with you?"

"No, I spent the night at Neela's. I asked him to bring me some clothes this morning."

"How is Neela doing? I'm kind of worried about her. She doesn't say too much." Sam went back to the computer.

"Well, just between you and I, right about now I would say that she is moving a little slow and avoiding any loud noises."

"Ouch..." Sam grimaced. " A little too much to drink last night? That's not good." Abby nodded. She went through the charts on the counter and pulled one out.

"I've seen this guy before. What is he here for this time?" She opened the chart and scanned the admit notes. She looked up and smiled as Luka came through the ambulance bay doors. He had a hanger with her slacks and a shirt slung over his shoulder. Sam looked from one to the other and smiled a little as she quickly bent her head. She felt as if she were invading a very private moment. Those two had eyes only for one another.

"Good morning," Luka grinned and handed her the hanger. "Sleep well?"

"Ummm...not...really...," she sighed as she lifted her face for a kiss. "How about you?"

"No..." he chuckled and kissed her. "I missed your cold feet." She slapped her forehead.

"That's why I couldn't sleep!" Luka rolled his eyes. Abby grinned.

"I am going to go change." She batted her lashes at him and headed down the hall toward the call room. Luka hesitated a moment and then hurried after her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the small public bathroom and locked the door behind them.

"What are you doing?" she laughed as he pulled his tie off.

"You said you would make it up to me," he grinned and pulled her close to him.

"Here? Right now?" she giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"We could get into trouble."

"Have you signed in yet?" he asked. She shook her head. "Me neither." He kissed her. "So, we are...not...officially...on duty...yet." She giggled again and bit her lips as he nuzzled her neck and his hands roamed up under her shirt.

"Luka, this bathroom is kind of on the small side," she sighed as she fumbled for his belt and buttons. He lifted his head and looked around.

"Yeah?" he said and bent back to the task of undoing her bra. Abby laughed.

Out in the hall, Dori quickly caught up with a patient that was wandering toward the bathroom door.

"Mr. Phelps, you need to stay in your bed," she said with an exasperated sigh.

"But I have to go to the bathroom," the elderly man whined. Dori patted the half filled urine bag he held in his hand.

'You have a catheter, Mr. Phelps," she said as she gently turned him around. "You don't need to use the bathroom." She frowned as she noticed Malik leaning against the wall eyeing the bathroom door.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I think Dr, Kovac is in there with Abby," he said thoughtfully. "I think..." Dori laughed and glanced back at him as she guided Mr. Phelps back to his bed. When she came back out in the hall, Yosh and Haleh had joined Malik.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time someone has used that bathroom for something like that," Haleh said quietly.

"Something like what?" Dori asked. Haleh rolled her eyes and Yosh snickered. Haleh laughed quietly and nudged Malik.

"Remember when Mark Greene kept hitting the call button?" she asked. Malik and Yosh chortled and slapped hands. Dori studied the closed door herself. Chuny hurried by, looked at the door they were watching and then stopped.

"What's going on?" she asked. Malik tipped his head toward the bathroom.

"Dr. Kovac and Abby...we think," he said. Chuny rolled her eyes.

"Is that all?" she scoffed. "Well, they're married, you guys. What do you expect?" Haleh's eyes widened and Malik, Dori and Yosh stopped laughing.

"What?" Yosh said. Chuny shook her head and put her hands on her hips.

"Oh please," she said," Don't tell me that I am the only one who noticed that they've both been wearing gold bands since they came back from Africa?"

"That doesn't mean that they got married," Malik said. "It could be some kind of...African ritual thing...or something." Chuny, Haleh and Dori laughed.

Inside the tiny bathroom Abby pulled a red bra out of the small plastic bag that had hung on the hanger.

"This isn't my bra," she said. Luka looked up from the floor where he was gathering her clothes into a pile.

"Uh...it is now," he said, his eyes wide. "I bought it for you last night." He shrugged. "Told you I couldn't sleep."

"So you found an all night lingerie shop?" she scoffed as she struggled with the clasp in the back.

"You would be amazed at what Chicago has to offer," Luka said as she turned around so he could help her. 'I wanted you to have something special to wear for me today." He handed her the expensive red silk panties from the bag and snickered as she grimaced. She slipped into her slacks and he pulled on the navy sweater he took off the hanger. She turned around and shook her hair loose. She laughed quietly and helped him button his shirt again. He redid his belt as she retied his tie and straightened the collar on his shirt. Luka picked up the pile of clothes from the floor and handed them to her.

"Okay," she said. "I am going to stick these in my locker and then go sign in. You wait in here for a few seconds before you come out." Luka frowned with a confused grin and nodded. Abby slowly opened the bathroom door and peeked out. Her eyes widened as all the talking stopped outside the door and she saw Malik, Yosh, Haleh, Chuny, Dori, Ray, Inez and Sam looking at her.

"Oh, my god," she said slowly and closed the door again. She pressed her forehead against the door as the sound of their laughter came through the door.

"What's wrong?" Luka asked. Abby stepped back and pushed him toward the door.

"You go first," she whispered sternly.

"What?" he said as he opened the door a crack. He peeked out and then grinned. They were all still there...waiting.

"Umm...uh...yeah," he stuttered, embarrassed, as he opened the door. "Umm..." He reached behind him and pulled Abby out of the bathroom with him.

"What we were wondering is...," Malik started.

"...are you two married now or not?" Chuny finished. Luka glanced down at Abby, tightened the hold on her hand and then looked back at the ER staff in front of him.

"We are," he said. "We got married in Croatia."

"I told you!" Chuny said as she walked away. "African ritual...puleeze." Malik shook his head and headed back to the admit desk. Inez and Sam meandered down the hall with a backward glance and grin at them. Ray winked at Abby and whistled as he straightened his shoulders and headed toward the lounge. Yosh nodded with a huge smile and followed him. Haleh was looking at them sternly, her arms crossed. She sighed heavily.

"I'll go give housekeeping a call," she said. "I imagine there is a fair amount of steam on the mirror in there." She turned on her heel and left them as she chuckled.

"Oh, man...I do NOT believe this!" Abby moaned as she pressed her face against his arm. Luka snickered and then laughed softly.

"Go put your clothes in your locker and then come and sign in," he said.

"Oh, man...," Abby moaned again as he gently pushed her toward the call room door. Abby swallowed and held her clothes against her. Kerry pulled the door open just as Abby was about to push it.

"Abby!" Kerry said with a smile. She looked at her friend and the smile faded. "You look...flushed. Are you feeling okay?" Abby slipped past her.

"Oh, man..." she said again as she headed for her locker. Luka was grinning as Kerry looked at him in confusion. He shrugged and headed toward the admit desk.


	14. Chapter 14

Abby opened the apartment door and tossed her bag onto the chair next to the door. She picked up the mail that was lying on the coffee table and glanced through it.

"Luka?" she called. She looked around the apartment and smiled slightly. He had the table set for a candle light dinner for two. She wandered through the rooms looking for him and noticed the nursery door open a crack.

"Hey," she called softly and opened the door wider. He was sitting in the rocking chair.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Luka looked up at her and sighed. She tipped her head to kiss his forehead and he pulled her gently into his lap.

"I was trying to think about what we should do with all of this," he said. "Should we pack it up? Should we return things to the stores? Should we give it away? Should we keep it?" He kissed her cheek. "Are you ready to think about that yet?" Abby looked at him for a moment and then shook her head slowly.

"Not really," she said. She looked around at the boxes that were unopened, the unassembled crib, the paraphernalia that was already put together, the clothes folded on top of the dresser and the boxes of disposable diapers that were stacked in the corner of the room.

"Someone could be using these things, Abby," Luka said quietly. "We could ask at the hospital about a family that might need it."

"Who's to say we won't use it?" she replied. "I mean, someday." Luka's arms tightened around her.

"You would want to adopt?" Abby shrugged.

"I don't know yet," she said. " Maybe."

"Or we could look into finding a surrogate," he said. "We could use your eggs and..."

"Would that be an important thing to you?" she interrupted him. "Having it be biologically ours?" Luka hesitated a moment and then slowly shook his head.

"'Maybe not," he said. "We both know there are lots of kids out there that need parents."

"And if we were to have a child we wouldn't be able to just take off to help with the L'Alliance for a while. Are you ready to give that up?"

"You're right," he sighed. "There is a lot to think about."

"How was your day?" he asked. Abby looped her arms around his neck.

"You left me alone in the ER with all those knowing stares and snickering laughs this afternoon," she scolded him.

"They were doing it all day?" he frowned.

"Word spreads fast in the ER," she sighed. "Everyone knows about our little...um...escapade?"

"I'm sorry. I had a meeting," he apologized. "I have our dinner ready though. I promise I will make it up to you."

"I'm going to hold you to that, Kovac," she smiled as she leaned in to kiss him. Abby leaned back and searched his face. She snuggled against his chest again and was silent for a long moment.

"He would have been six months old yesterday," she said finally.

"I know."

"What do you think he would have been like?" Luka sighed and rested his chin on the top of her head and tightened his hold on her.

"Probably still tiny..."

"With your black hair..."

"And your brown eyes." Abby looked up at him.

"No...hazel," she said. "A mix of both of us."

"Do you really think so?" She nodded.

"Easy going."

"Sweet." Luka felt her sharp intake of breath and she melted a little closer to him.

"Is it always going to be like this?" she choked. "Wondering what he would have been like?" Luka blinked back tears and held her closer.

"I wish I could say that it gets better," he said quietly. "Sometimes, even now, I have moments when I think, wow, Marko would be 18 and finishing school...or Jasna would be 20 and probably have a boy friend that I don't like." He kissed the top of her head.

"It's always in the back of your mind," he said. "But other things happen and it doesn't hurt so much as it does now. It's just...there." They sat still in the rocker, holding one another, lost in their silent thoughts for a long moment.

"Care to join me for dinner, Mrs. Kovac?" Luka said softly. Abby looked up at him and smiled. She wiped away the tears from his face and kissed him. His thumb wiped the teardrops from her cheeks and he kissed her. She stood up and waited while he pulled himself out of the rocker and stretched his limbs a bit. They walked hand in hand out of the nursery and shut the door.

They sat close to one another at the table and ate by candle light, feedingeach otherand talking about their day. They cleaned up together and worked companionably as they washed and dried the dishes, ignoring the dishwasher for once. He was in bed before she was and lay there in the sheets and pillows and comforter watching her as she straightened the bedroom and put their dirty clothes in the hamper. She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and he shifted himself a little so he could watch her in the bathroom mirror. Lord, she was beautiful...way beyond just pretty. The silky hair that spilled over her shoulders...the lines around her eyes...the curves...all compounded with his memories of her. He looked at her now and he saw her in Croatia with his family...in Darfur working along side him...in the ER struggling to pull together all of her resources to diagnose a complicated case. He saw the woman she was when he first met her and the woman that she was now. And he knew that he loved her more than he ever thought possible again.

She came out of the bathroom and frowned a bit when she saw him watching her.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Luka shook his head and pulled back the comforter and sheet so she could slip in next to him. She sighed and snuggled back against him as he drew the covers around her. They lay quietly spooned together in the warm bed. Luka's hand slowly caressed her soft shoulder and Abby turned so she was on her back and could look at him. Their eyes met and she smiled as she raised her hand and drew her fingers through his dark hair and rested her palm gently in the crook of his neck. He bent his face to her's and their lips met in long, lingering kiss. Luka buried his face in the silky flowery smelling hair that spilled across the pillow and then pressed a line of soft, caressing kisses from her deliciously soft ear lobe to her neck and finally her shoulder. Abby shivered and then drew him closer to her as she splayed her fingers across his bare chest and over his shoulders.

"I love you , Luka," she whispered against his ear. " I love you." He smiled and drew back to study her face.

"Not as much as I love you," he whispered back. "Not nearly as much as I love you." Abby smiled broadly as her heart began to sing and drew him back to her.


	15. Chapter 15

"Neela..." Abby rapped sharply on the apartment door. Answer the door...now." She waited for a moment and then rummaged through her bag for her keys.

"I'm only going to give you a couple of minutes and then I'm using my key!" She knocked again.

"Come on, Neela. I know you're in there!" Abby hesitated and then stuck her key in the lock with a determined sigh. She pushed open the door and peeked into the livingroom of the apartment. It was dark, neat and orderly and there was no Neela. She dropped her bag onto the floor next to the door and raised the blinds at the windows. She checked the kitchen.

"Neela?" she called. She took a deep breath and opened the bedroom door. Neela was sitting on the edge of the bed in the dark room and looked up at her.

"Go away, Abby," she said. Abby leaned against the door jamb and looked at her.

"I can't do that," she said. "I need someone to help me with some Christmas shopping."

"Christmas?" Neela groaned and fell back on the bed. "It's not even November yet."

"Yeah, well this box is going to Africa so I have to get it ready early."

"Oh, right..." Neela nodded and closed her eyes again. "Well...I can't help you today."

"Sure you can," Abby said brightly. She crossed the room and opened the curtains that covered the window. Neela squeezed her eyes tighter and pulled a pillow over her eyes.

"I just want to stay here and be alone."

"You've been alone here for the past three days. It's depressing."

"I'm entitled to be depressed."

"Not today." Abby went to the dresser drawers and pulled out a sweater and jeans. She tossed them onto the bed.

"Can you put that stuff on by yourself or do you need some help?" Neela growled and sat up in the jumbled bed sheets.

"You're not going to give up, are you?" she cried. Abby shook her head.

"You and I don't have a day off together very often," she said. "Come on. We're not going to waste it." Neela shook her head and scowled up at her friend. Abby grinned wider as Neela threw her legs over the side of the bed and reached for her jeans.

"I'll be right out," she said bitterly. Abby nodded and left the room. Her smile faded into one of worry as she closed the bedroom door behind her.

Abby sighed and went to check the cupboards in the kitchen. Just as she thought. They were practically empty. So was the refrigerator. She opened a half empty carton of milk and grimaced as the sour smell wafted to her nose. She poured it down the drain in the sink. There was one consolation. She hadn't found any alcohol bottles - either full or empty.

She was waiting by the door when Neela came out of the bedroom, dressed and ready to go. She had pulled her hair back into a tight bun and wore huge sunglasses. Abby handed her a purse and opened the door.

"Have you eaten anything yet today?" she asked her. "Do you want to get something now or just have lunch at the Water Tower?" Neela shrugged.

"Okay," Abby said. "Water Tower it is!" Neela sighed and locked the apartment door as Abby waited for her and they headed out onto the street toward the EL station.

Neela hated Abby at the moment. She was her best friend and she still hated her. Why did she insist on dragging her out of the safety of her dark apartment and back into the world of the living? She had been perfectly fine there. She'd even stayed away from drinking. The last nasty hangover had been enough for a long while. Neela glared at Abby from behind her sunglasses and shook her head when she flashed a smile at her. Abby was ignoring her morose mood and chattering on about what to get for the Christmas box she was planning for the two girls she'd met in Africa.

As they combed the stores at the Water Tower shopping complex and then headed over to the Navy Pier, Neela managed to shake her mood a bit. It was actually fun looking for hair clips and head bands that might entice a 12 year old girl. They selected some scented lotions, some pretty pajama pants and tops, puzzles and hard candy from a candy shop. Abby was all smiles as they settled into a booth at a restaurant for a late lunch. Neela just looked at her and took the sun glasses off.

"Do you think they will know about Christmas?" she asked.

"I think so," Abby said as she looked over the menu. "The school they are at is Catholic." Neela sighed and looked at her for a long moment.

"Does it really end, Abby?" she asked. "Have you gotten to the end of this whole grief thing?" Abby looked up at her and shrugged.

"It's been harder on you," she said quietly. "You stayed in Chicago. You've kept working. Luka and I...we ran away at first. To Croatia and then to Darfur."

"It's been months." Neela wiped a tear from her eye. "I just want it to be over. I want to stop being sad. I want to find an end the way you have."

"We haven't found an 'end', Neela," Abby said. "We still have a nursery that we can't quite bring ourselves to pack up. I haven't been able to set foot near NICU since coming back and Luka wants to go to a grief therapy group but I can't do it."

"I tried that," Neela sighed. "I went to one of the groups set up by themilitary for families that have lost someone.'

"How did that go?" Neela shrugged.

"I didn't want to go back."

"Sometimes I feel incredibly guilty," Abby said quietly. "Luka has lost three children...and a wife...and yet we always seem to take care of my needs first...never his."

"Luka loves you," Neela said quietly. "Helping you helps him." Abby thought about that for a moment and then nodded slowly.

"I think you're right," she said. "But still..." They both looked up as a waitress approached for their order. They placed a lunch order and then sat back in their seats and looked at one another. Abby chuckled.

"We are quite a pair," she sighed. She was relieved to see Neela's slight smile.

"Maybe we ought to start our own grief therapy group," Abby said. "It would get Luka off my back and give us a real excuse to do this more often." Neela nodded and laughed.


	16. Chapter 16

"Hey..." Luka's face brightened as Abby walked in the ambulance bay doors and smiled at him. "How was your day?"

"Successful," she said, frowning as she pondered his question for a second. "I got her out of the apartment." Luka nodded and watched her as she went through the stack of envelopes he handed to her.

"Thanks for switching my schedule so I could spend the day with Neela," she sighed.

"No problem," he said. "I am going to miss you tonight though." Abby grinned.

"You know what they say..." she said as she pulled away and headed for the call room, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"Not possible..." he said as he shook his head. Abby chuckled and waved. Frank shook his head.

"You two are like a romance novel come to life," he growled and shivered. "I can feel the heat from here. Is the honeymoon ever going to be over?" Luka laughed.

'I hope not, Frank," he said as he patted the older man on the back. "I sincerely hope not." He snickered and headed to his office.

One nice thing about working the night shift is that it tended to be quiet. Abby was settled on the lounge couch catching up on some of the more recent medical journals when Inez burst through the door.

"Trauma coming in, Dr. Lockhart," she said. "Three crits from a multiple auto collision. ETA is three minutes." Abby tossed the magazine to the table and stood up. She followed Inez to the ambulance bay on a run and drew on the gown that was handed to her. Kerry was waiting in the ambulance bay along with several new interns. Dr. Munson raised his hand in greeting and smiled.

"You're back!" he said.

"You too," Abby nodded. Two ambulances pulled up and the doors burst open.

"Four year old with head and neck trauma," a paramedic shouted as a gurney was lifted out of the rig. "Unrestrained back seat passenger. His name's Bradley." Kerry nodded toward Munson.

"Trauma One, Dr. Munson," she said. "Stabilize him, get a CT and x-ray to rule out a skull or neck fracture immediately." Munson nodded and pushed the gurney into the ER.

"Forty two year old male. One exposed fractures of the left tibia and a dislocated elbow. Possible head injury. Unresponsive to painful stimuli."

"I'll take this one," Kerry said as she pushed the gurney inside with a paramedic's help. "Abby, you take that one." Abby nodded as the back doors were opened and a gurney was lifted out.

"Thirty seven year old female. Twenty five weeks pregnant. Unrestrained front seat passenger. Impact trauma to the belly. She's bleeding and leaking amniotic fluid." Abby's heart stopped as she surveyed her patient and helped push the gurney into Trauma 4. Her head began to pound as she and Inez went into action. She looked around for someone to help but everyone was busy. Inez inserted an IV and hooked up a saline bag as Abby did a quick assessment with her stethescope and otoscope.

"She has blood in her ear canal," she said. Inez nodded and hooked up a heart monitor and put a blood pressure clip on her finger.

"Blood pressure is 170 over 65." she said. Abby frowned and shook her head as she listened for a fetal heart beat. She felt the abdomen tighten.

"She's having contractions. Page OB and NICU," Abby said. "We need a warming bed down here immediately. We need help." Inez nodded and quickly checked the IV she had just inserted. Abby pulled back the sheet that covered her patient and groaned. Deep, red blood covered the gurney.

"Get someone from OB down here stat!" she ordered. ""We've got a possible abruption." Inez nodded and hurried to the phone. Abby took a deep breath and forced down the nausea that building in her throat. She drew a vial of blood from the woman's arm and handed it to the nurse that flew in the door.

'Get some type specific blood in here stat," she said. The nurse nodded and took off for the lab with the vial.

Later, Luka stood at the door of NICU and watched Abby. She had pulled a chair close to the incubator and was leaning forward as she used a finger to carefully caress the baby's tiny hand inside. His heart nearly broke as he remembered seeing her in the exact same position so many other times with their son. Luka pushed open the door and nodded at the nurse behind the counter. She smiled at him and glanced back at Abby. Instinctively he went to the sink and washed his hands, dried them and then put on a new sterile gown from the cupboard. He walked slowly toward Abby and then crouched down next to her. He glanced at the baby in the incubator and then back at her.

"Hi," she said as she looked at him. "What are you doing here?" She looked back at the baby and smiled a little.

"Kerry paged me," he said. "She thought you might want a ride home." Abby glanced up at the clock.

"I'm still on for another two hours," she said.

"I can wait for you," he said. Abby sighed and pressed her head against the glass of the incubator.

"His mother died in surgery," she said. "They couldn't save her."

Luka nodded.

"I know."

"His father is in an ortho bed with a broken leg and elbow."

"I know that too." Abby looked at him.

"His grandparents are on their way in from Detroit." She smiled slightly as she looked at the baby.

"He's sweet."

"Yeah..." Luka said softly. He reached over and slipped his hand to the back of her neck.

"Are you okay?" Abby nodded.

"I just didn't want him to be alone right now," she said. "I thought I would sit with him for a few minutes before going back down."

"I know," Luka said. Abby looked around the quiet and darkened NICU.

"It's the first time I've been up here since..." Luka's hand tightened slightly on the back of her neck.

"I know," he said quietly. "Me too." She looked at him and sighed. They both had tears in their eyes. Abby smiled slightly and drew her hand reluctantly from the incubator.

"I guess I'd better get back to work," she said. Luka shook his head.

"You don't have to," he said quietly. "We can stay for a bit longer." She nodded and looked back at the intubated baby in the incubator.

"You saved his life, Abby," Luka said softly. 'You delivered him and intubated him." She nodded and slipped her hand back in to touch a tiny foot.

"I hope he makes it," she said softly. Luka leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead and turned to study the baby with her. They sat quietly with their heads pressed together.


	17. Chapter 17

Luka stopped a moment and looked at the calendar in front of him on the table. He frowned a bit and counted backwards flipping pages as he went. He smiled and nodded slightly. He looked up as Abby came out of their bedroom dressed for work. She was twisting her hair into a knot on the back of her head and secured it with a hair clip. She picked up a coffee cup from the table and took a drink.

"What?" she asked as Luka grinned at her.

"Today is a special day," he said.

"It is?" She frowned thoughtfully and he nodded. She shrugged and held out her hands as she couldn't place the date.

"Our wedding was three months ago today….exactly." Abby's hand dropped and she smiled slightly.

"Really…..." she said. Luka nodded and stood up.

"Yes," he said as he pulled her into his arms. "We need to celebrate." He kissed her and Abby laughed.

"Celebrate…..three months?" Luka nodded. He kissed her nose.

"Some place fancy," he said. "Some place really special." He pulled back and looked at her. "We've never done that before, have we?" Abby laughed.

"Hardly," she said. "Your idea of a hot date is a couple of sandwiches and a game of pool at our local bar and grill." Luka rolled his eyes.

"I can do fancy too," he said. Abby frowned playfully and pulled away from him.

"I can!" Luka insisted. He shook a finger at her.

"We're both off at seven," he said. "You just meet me at the admit desk in your little black dress and I will show you how to celebrate fancy."

"Little black dress?" Abby scoffed. "Luka, I don't even own a little black dress."

"You don't?" he said incredulously. "I thought every woman had a little black dress in her closet." Abby shook her head and shrugged.

"That's never really been my thing." Luka pondered that for a moment and then shrugged.

"So, go out on your break and buy one." Abby laughed.

"You are such a man," she said as she shook her head.

"What?" he shrugged.

"A new dress….especially a little black one….means new shoes, new underwear, stockings….."

"Stockings?" He grinned lecherously. Abby punched him playfully.

"What's the problem?" he groaned.

"I'm supposed to find all that on my lunch break?" His face fell and then brightened.

"So take my lunch break too. I'll cover for you." Abby laughed and shook her head. She slipped on her coat and picked up her bag, waiting for him at the door.

"You'll make it up to me later anyway," he wheedled. Abby looked up at him.

"Black, huh?" she sighed.

"And little…." Luka added. Abby sighed and shook her head with a smile. Luka looked at her with pleading eyes as he slipped into his jacket and shut the latches on his bag. He didn't take his eyes off her as he lifted the bag's strap to his shoulder.

"What are you thinking?" he asked her.

"I'm thinking about how fast I could get from one shop to another at lunch time….when all the rest of Chicago will be doing the same thing," she sighed.

"Yes!" Luka crowed happily as he pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and picked up her hand as they headed out the door to the entryway and off to work.

All day long all she could think about was what he might be planning. However she went from one patient to the other absorbed in their problems and issues. They passed each other in the hallways, always with a little smile for one another. Once, at the admit desk they found themselves standing side by side and Luke nudged her with his elbow. She just looked up, nudged him with her hip and returned his smile.

Jerry watched them critically and shook his head. He was having a very hard time following Luka's actions today. He'd cancelled a dinner reservation at the Drake Hotel and arranged for a flower delivery to come to the hospital rather than the restaurant. It was hard to figure what the good doctor had up his sleeve next.

Luka was triaging patients in the waiting room when she came back from her shopping trip. Abby grinned at him triumphantly and shifted the dress bag on it's hanger that was slung over her shoulder. She headed for the call room to put her purchases in her locker and then went back to work.

The afternoon crawled by for both of them. Luka wasn't sure when he became aware of the looks he was getting from other ER employees. Everyone seemed so jumpy around him. He was jotting some notes onto a patent's chart when two nurses stepped around a corner and almost ran into him.

"Dr. Kovac!" Inez shrieked. She looked at her companion in panic and the two of them hurried off in another direction carrying several bags and boxes. Luka watched them go and then snagged Abby's arm as she came out of an exam room.

"Have you noticed anything…..funny…..going on?" he asked her. Abby shrugged.

"No," she said, and then grinned. "But I have had my mind on something else." Luka chuckled and nodded.

"Me too." He looked around and then bent his head to kiss her lightly.

"Your shopping trip was successful?" Abby shrugged and began walking away.

"I don't think you'll be disappointed," she smiled slyly. Luka chuckled and shook his head.

Five o'clock….five thirty….six o'clock……time seemed to crawl by. The board was clear and passed on to the night shift and Luka hurried to his office to change. He stepped out into the corrider and turned to lock his office door when he caught sight of Abby coming toward him. His mouth dropped open and he stopped and just enjoyed the view. She had a half cocked smile on her face and was striding toward him in a form fitting black sweater dress that slipped off one bare shoulder. A slender silver belt rode on her hips and her hair was swept up in a loose knot and held in place with a silver clip. Several strands had slipped loose and curled around her neck. She stopped in front of him and put her hands on her hips.

"Little enough for you?" she asked. Luka nodded enthusiastically and Abby laughed as she reached up to push his chin up and close his mouth. She looked him over and admired his dark suit. She straightened his new silk tie and patted the pocket over his heart.

"Are you ready to go?" Luka nodded and offered her an arm. He patted her hand as they made their way toward the ambulance bay doors. Heads turned and Frank's mouth dropped open when he saw them together.

'Hey, how did they find out….." Yosh started to say and Frank shushed him. He quickly picked up the telephone.

"Dr. Kovac," he called. "Dr. Weaver's on the phone." Luka waved his hand.

"We're off duty, Frank," Luka said as he tugged Abby toward the exit.

"She said to get the hell over to the phone now," Frank insisted. Luka sighed and dropped his chin to his chest. He left Abby at the door and strode over to the phone.

"Kerry, Abby and I have dinner reservations for seven thirty," he said impatiently. Abby suppressed a smile as she saw him nodding and then shaking his head in frustration.

"Five minutes…" he growled. "Okay." He handed the phone back to Frank and sighed as he looked at Abby. He held out a hand and she shook her head as she moved toward him.

"Apparently there some paperwork I neglected to sign at the last staff meeting," he said. "It can't wait until tomorrow so she's waiting for me in the conference room. It'll just take a minute. Ride up with me?"

They were alone in the elevator going up and Luka could resist it no longer. He bent his head and nuzzled the tempting bare shoulder and neck line.

"You smell good," he sighed. Abby chuckled.

"You like that, huh?" He nodded and nibbled on her ear lobe. He straightened as the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. He took her hand and they headed toward the hospital conference room. Luka pulled the door open and…..

"SURPRISE!" The noise blasted out into the hall and they were drawn into the wildly decorated conference room. A DJ in the corner was playing the Wedding March and there were hugs and handshakes all around as Abby and Luka were passed along to a long table where a wedding cake was waiting. Jerry stood nearby holding a bouquet of flowers and a champagne bottle. He nudged Luka.

"The flowers you ordered," he said as he handed the bouquet to him. "and the champagne from the Drake Hotel…..which they charged you for when I cancelled the reservation this afternoon." Luka frowned at him and Jerry grinned.

"I had some trouble keeping up with you today," he said with a shrug. Luka set the bottle down on the table next to the cake and turned to Abby. She was hugging Neela and he shook a finger at a laughing Kerry.

"We debated about the appropriateness of holding this here," Kerry said. "It was the only way we could make sure everyone could be here at one point or another…..and besides, after the last few months in this hospital…." She leaned over to hug Abby.

"We all needed something to celebrate," she said as she pulled back and smiled at them. Luka grinned and settled the bouquet of flowers, a simple arrangement surrounding three red roses, into Abby's arms. She smiled and looked up at him.

"Not exactly the fancy celebration that I had planned for tonight…" he whispered in her ear. Abby drew back and smiled at him.

"I'll make it up to you," she replied quietly. Luka grinned and kissed her as the cheers and laughter surrounded them.


	18. Chapter 18

Abby suppressed a smile as she steadied Luka for a moment and used his key to open their apartment door.

"Woo..." he blinked as she turned on the lights and he closed his eyes and shook his head. She grinned and guided him inside and turned to shut the door.

"It was a nice party. Did you have a little bit too much fun tonight?" she asked. Luka sighed and leaned heavily on the back of the couch.

"If you could call watching you dance with every guy in the room 'fun'," he shook his head.

"I did not dance with every guy in the room," she laughed and eased him out of his jacket and folded it over the back of the couch. She slipped her feet out of her heeled pumps and left them by the couch. Luka shook his head.

"Malik...Morris...Yosh...Ray...Jerry...Frank...Ray again...and Malik again and again and again." Abby laughed and wrapped an arm around his waist and helped him steady himself as she led him to their bedroom. Luka flopped down on the bed and pulled his arm across his eyes. Abby slipped his shoes off and unbuckled his belt and tugged his pants off. Luka lifted his head and looked at her.

"I'm supposed to be doing this to you," he said wearily. "That was the plan."

"Well, I think our plans were a little off," she grinned as she sat on the bed next to him. "It was a nice thought though."

"Yeah..." Luka sighed. He closed his eyes again and Abby smiled as she drew her fingers through the hair on his forehead.

"Did you drink that entire bottle of champagne?" Luka opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Was the bottle empty?" he asked. She nodded. "Well, pretty much then."

"Why?" she asked.

"You were dancing with Malik and I got a little jealous so I drank a little," he sighed. "And then you danced with Ray and..."

"Okay," Abby laughed. "I get the picture." She reached over and unbuttoned his shirt and pressed a kiss to his bare chest.

"Why didn't you dance with me?" she asked as she raked her fingernails through the hair on his chest. "You've done it before."

"Not with anyone watching," he sighed. He looked down at her hand on his chest and then up at her face. He leered at her with a slight smile on his lips. Abby chuckled and reached down to unbuckle the belt that rode on her hips. She dropped it to the floor and then smiled at him.

"You are so beautiful," he sighed as he reached for her. Abby laughed.

"And you are so drunk..."

"Naw...I'm not," he sighed. His hands slipped under the hem of her sweater dress and slid up her thighs to her waist. He lifted his head as his lips sought her's and Abby grinned. She leaned down and met his as he slipped his thumbs into the waist band of her panties and nylons. He slid them down over her hips and pressed her closer to him. His hands traveled up her back under the dress and fumbled with the clasp on her bra. She giggled and pulled away from him. She sat up, slipped the dress over her head and let it drop to the floor. Luka sighed as he looked up at her. His face was flushed and his eyes heavy lidded. He reached up and caressed her shoulders and then tears began to slip out of his eyes.

"What's the matter?" she asked with a worried frown. Luka sighed heavily.

"I was so afraid that I'd lost you forever," he said. Her frown faded.

"You didn't," she said and wiped a tear from his face. "I came through the surgery okay, right?" Luka shook his head.

"No...not then...before. At the el station. When I told you that you weren't pretty...weren't special enough." Abby nodded and wiped another tear away.

"It wasn't true, Abby," he insisted. "Not a word was true." She smiled at him and then leaned down to snuggle against him. Luka's arms tightened around her as he held her close.

"I am sorry," he said. "I am so so sorry."

"I know," she sighed. "I said some pretty rank things as well. But it's over. Done." Luka nodded and buried his face in her neck. She shook her head and laughed as he nibbled on her shoulder.

"I love you, Abby," he whispered in her ear.

"You are really going to love me tomorrow when you wake up with a headache," she giggled. "Ready to...uh...dance...with me?" Luka chortled and rolled over on top of her.

"Yes...I am ready to dance with you," he grinned.

"Good..." she sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck.


	19. Chapter 19

She waited patiently as the passengers disembarked from the plane and came through the tarmac doors. She knew he wouldn't be among the first group off. Her smile widened as he came through the doors looking around. Their eyes met and he smiled. Dropping his bag onto a near by seat, he held open his arms and she moved into them.

"Hallo, Tata," Abby said as he wrapped her into a warmly familiar hug and kissed the top of her head. "I've missed you." Laurentis Kovac grinned and held her away from him as he studied her with a shrewdly astute eye. He tipped her face up with a finger under her chin.

"You look...sretno," he said. She thought for a moment and then smiled.

"Much happier," she nodded. Laurentis' smile broadened. Abby reached for his carry on bag and Laurentis shook his head. He picked it up and looped it over his shoulder.

"Luka?" he asked as they headed toward the luggage retrieval area.

"He's at the hospital," she said. "You didn't want me to tell him you were coming." Laurentis nodded.

"I wanted some time alone with moj kcerka," he said. Their eyes met again and Abby looped an arm around his waist affectionately and hugged him again.

"I am so glad you're here," she said. Laurentis nodded and smiled as he looked down at her, even as his dark eyes shadowed.

Luka studied the patient board and sighed. What was going on with these medical students? Why was it taking so long to clear the board? Maybe he should call Abby in for an extra shift. She had been very evasive about her plans for the day anyway. And she'd been busy all weekend packing things in boxes in the spare room. She'd given him some grief about finally planning to move his computer set up in there. She said she wanted them to have an office to work in at home. Luka was glad, yet a little sad, that she seemed willing to move beyond seeing it as the nursery they no longer needed.

"Luka..." Chuny said behind him. "MVA coming in. Three minute ETA." Luka nodded and glanced down the hall.

"Jane..." he tipped his head toward the ambulance bay doors and she hurried to join him there.

Luka was busy in the trauma room and didn't see them standing at the doors at first. He glanced up and smiled as he saw Abby and then his eyes widened as he took in the tall man beside her. He lifted his hand in a slight wave and went back to the patient. His father? In Chicago? He was aware that they were standing there, watching him and he stepped back as Jane took over the closing of the wounds.

"You got this?" he asked. She nodded and Luka glanced at Haleh, who was assisting.

"Go," she said. "She can handle this." Luka nodded. He tore the gloves and gown off and tossed them into the bin as he hurried toward the door. Laurentis stood straighter and grinned broadly as Luka threw his arms around him.

"Tata!" he exclaimed. "Što su te dogadaj ovdje?" Luka's eyes shifted to Abby.

"You...can keep a secret very well," he laughed. Abby grinned and watched the two of them together. Laurentis was talking a mile a minute and Luka was doing the same. She shook her head as the Croatian words spun in her head. She picked up a few things but not enough to keep up with them. She was smiling as they headed toward Luka's small office, oblivious that they had left her behind. They would be a while. Maybe she would check in and help clear the board.

"Something's wrong," Luka said quietly that night as Abby snuggled against his chest under the covers of their bed. He wrapped his arms around her and sighed.

"You don't actually believe that crap about a gallery showing, do you?"

"Luka, I signed for the paintings when they arrived," she replied softly. "I did the formal inventory with the gallery owners three days ago." Luka frowned.

"How long have you known about this?" he asked. Abby hesitated.

"Ummm...two weeks," she said finally. She smiled softly as she felt his head shaking in the pillow behind her. His arms tightened.

"I have been trying to get my father to Chicago for a visit for years," he sighed. "Why did he come now?" Abby turned in his arms and thought for a moment.

"He missed...me?" she said. Luka chuckled and kissed her nose.

"Yes," he said. "You're right. The thought of seeing you again would certainly bring **me** on a trans-Atlantic flight away from my family and friends and my life's work." She laughed and slipped her arms around his neck. Her fingers toyed with the dark hair at the base of his neck and Luka sighed. She drew his head closer and they kissed lightly. Luka's eyes opened and met her's. Abby chuckled as she felt his hands creeping up under her cami top.

"Pay back for keeping this a secret?" she asked. Luka narrowed his eyes and frowned slightly.

"Oh yeah..." he said. "You deserve some kind of punishment." She laughed and settled herself a little closer against him.


	20. Chapter 20

The gallery opening was a black tie, invitation only affair. The real surprise to them both was that it was also a benefit for their L'Alliance. Abby stood in front of the display announcing that and looked at the identification photos that bordered it. Seeing some of the familiar faces brought memories flooding back. A smile tugged at her lips when she found her picture, Carter's, Pratt's and Luka's. They looked like all those old elementary school photos...all eyes and uncomfortable smiles.

"It's amazing how it all comes back, isn't it?" Greg Pratt said as he moved next to her. Abby glanced at him and smiled. He was quite dashing in the tuxedo he wore. She'd wondered why he'd gotten an invitation. Now she knew.

"The smells, the dust, the noises, the heat..." Pratt shook his head. "...the incredible frustration..."

"And the feeling that you have done something very worthwhile when you have saved that one life?" Abby added. Greg's eyes met her's and he nodded slowly.

"Would you go back?" she asked.

"In a heart beat," Greg chuckled. He looked around the room filled with glittering jewelry and expensive clothing.

"Being there makes this all seem so...selfish," he sighed.

"I thought I recognized you," a woman said as she approached them. She pointed to Pratt's picture on the display. "That's you, isn't it? You're one of the doctors in the program."

"Uh, yes, ma'am," Greg said as he stood a little straighter. "I spent three weeks in Darfur."

"And where is that exactly?" she said. Abby smiled a little and slipped away as Greg was soon surrounded by several others as he recounted his experiences with the L'Alliance. There was something a little disconcerting, and yet pleasant, in that no one had yet approached her about recognizing her photo on the board. She wandered slowly through the gallery, studying the paintings on the walls and listening to snatches of conversation. She stopped to study a small abstract that caught her eye.

"Is that your favorite?" Tata said as he moved to her side.

"No," Abby sighed. "I already have my favorite piece by this artist. It's hanging on my wall at home." Laurentis smiled broadly as he remembered the portrait he'd done of his son and daughter in law. It was one of his favorites as well.

Luka saw the two of them across the room and his eyes lit up. The fact that his father was so taken with his wife meant so very much to him. And Abby...try as he might he could not convince her to wear her little black dress tonight. Instead she had chosen black slacks that were so full they swished her around her like a long skirt. She wore a silvery silk blouse under a simple, short black jacket. Her long hair was braided and pulled casually over her shoulder. She had left tendrils of hair escaping from the braid. He couldn't wait to get his hands on them...to smooth them back where they belonged.

"So don't you think we should be channeling our money into projects here...in America?" the gentleman in front of him was saying. Luka's eyes shifted to him and then back to Abby.

"Umm...excuse me," he said politely and eased away. Abby looked up as he approached and her smile melted his heart. He picked up her hand and kissed her finger tips. Abby looked from one darkly handsome tuxedo clad man to the other and sighed.

"Now, one of you is going to have to move away," she said with a laugh. "I feel like I am standing between matching book ends." Luka held up his hand holding hers and grinned at his father.

"Imam njoj kazaljka," Luka said. " Ona je minirati," Laurentis scowled playfully and kissed Abby's cheek before he moved back to the crowd admiring his paintings. Abby ran her hand down the lapel of the tux Luka wore and raised her eyebrows.

"I think we should see about buying one of these so you can wear it for me once in a while," she said.

"I thought we were going to look for a gladiator thing...like that guy in the 'Spartacus' movie?" he frowned.

"Oh...yeah," she giggled as she looked up at him. Luka swept an arm around her and hugged her to him.

"Good lord, you two can't keep your hands off one another," Greg said quietly as he moved toward them. Luka laughed and shook his head. Greg took a sip from the champagne glass he held and surveyed the crowd.

"So how many portable x-ray machines do you think that guy over there is worth?" he asked. Luka shrugged.

"Probably not as many suture kits as that woman's necklace over there," he said. "And, maybe, triple the IV lines." Abby looked from one to the other and sighed.

"Kind of ruined our lives, didn't it?" she said. Greg shook his head.

"Naw...just gave us a new perspective, that's all." He nodded toward Laurentis.

"Your dad is looking pretty good. He must be handling the chemo okay?"

"Chemo?" Luka said slowly. He looked down at Abby and she shrugged and shook her head slightly.

"I saw him up in Oncology yesterday. What kind of cancer does he have anyway?"

Luka reached for Abby's hand and squeezed it tightly as they both looked toward Laurentis.


	21. Chapter 21

"Well, now I know why he had to 'surprise' me," Luka said quietly as he folded his arms behind his head on the pillow. "He knows I would have questioned his reasons for wanting to come now."

"Well, I feel a wee bit used," Abby frowned as she slipped under the bed covers next to him. "I got all caught up in his 'surprise' too."

"Don't blame yourself, Abby, My father can be quite an artsy man."

"Crafty..." she corrected.

"Whatever..." Luka sighed. "What are we going to do now? Should we talk to him? Should I call my brothers?"

"What if they don't know either" she interrupted him. Luka sighed.

"I am not sure that I really trust him to tell us the truth," he said. "Not now."

"Maybe we could get the information from Oncology," she mused. Luka shook his head.

"Not if he's told them not to tell us." Abby propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at him.

"Then we're going to have to talk to him," she said whispered firmly. Luka turned his face to her's. Her eyes sparkled with tears in the light coming through their window blinds. He nodded slowly and then realized that he'd been crying as well. He reached up and ran a finger down her cheek and then drew her carefully into his arms. He held onto her tightly as pent up sobs forced their way from his chest and were muffled in her soft hair. Abby's arms sought their way around him and she held him close to her.

The next morning, Luka studied his father across the breakfast table from him. Laurentis was smiling as he looked over the gallery's program once again. He tapped the photograph of himself and shrugged happily.

"That picture guy," he grinned. "Made me look very handsome, eh?" Abby smiled as she set a plate of scrambled eggs and fruit in front of him. She kissed his cheek.

"You are very handsome, Tata," she said as she sat at the table with them. She glanced at Luka. He set his coffee mug down and took a deep breath.

"Greg Pratt pila te na Onkologija pod," he said. "Što je koje se zbivaju sa sa vašim?" Abby looked at Laurentis. She wasn't sure what Luka had said but she caught the words 'oncology floor'. It was a long moment before Laurentis looked up at them again. He shrugged.

"Što je koje se zbivaju sa sa vašim?" Luka repeated firmly and cocked his head as he waited for an answer.

"Umiješati... se za dva mjesec zatim," Laurentis said quietly. Abby cast a glance toward Luka, wating for him to translate.

"Interferon," he said without taking his eyes from his father. "For two months now. Why?" Laurentis' shoulders sagged for a brief second and then he straightened.

" Oštar Mijelitis Leukemija," he said carefully. They were both silent and Abby looked from one to the other.

"Luka?" she asked softly.

"Acute Myeloid Leukemia," he translated softly. Abby's eyes flew to Laurentis and she frowned slightly.

"That's treatable," she said. "'Interferon is usually used after chemotherapy to boost the immune system. Have you had chemotherapy? Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because he isn't getting treatment, Abby," Luka said, his eyes still on his father. "The Interferon is just to provide some immunities while he waits to die." Abby looked toward Luka and then back at her father in law with a questioning gaze.

"Imam je dobar ivot. ཉྭelim ici," he said. Luka tore his napkin from his lap and threw it on the table.

"What did he say?" Abby asked quickly. Luka stood up from the table and turned away in anger. He pulled his hands threw his dark hair and then turned around.

"He said he has had a good life and he wants to go," Luka spit. Abby sat back in her chair in shock. She looked at Laurentis and blinked back the tears that were welling in her eyes.

"JA motriteljica tvoj majka kocka borbeni opozvan," Laurentis said. Luka threw his hands up.

"Mati had breast cancer, Tata! That's something all together different. And the cure rate on **that** is even different than it was ten years ago!"

"You did not watch her die, Luka," Laurentis said. "You were here...in America." Luka face sagged in hurt. Abby thought. Ten years ago? Where had they been ten years ago? She had just started working in OB at County...as a nurse. They hadn't known one another yet.

"I didn't run away from her, Tata," Luka said. "Mati is the one that told me to come. She knew I had to get away from everything there." Laurentis looked down at his uneaten breakfast. Luka sat in his chair at the table again.

" Ona je borio internet, Tata," he said. "She fought it to the very end." Laurentis sighed heavily and looked up at him and then at Abby. She wasn't sure it was the right thing to do but she reached out for his hand.

"You're the only father that I have ever had that meant anything to me," she said as tears slipped down her face. "I'm not ready to lose you too. Not yet." Laurentis squeezed her hand and then drew her closer. Abby stood up and moved into his arms and hugged him. Laurentis looked across the table sheepishly and shrugged.

"Does she always get what she wants?" he asked in Croatian.

"Pretty much," Luka shrugged. Laurentis shook his head and rolled his eyes. Luka laughed and took a deep breath.


	22. Chapter 22

Laurentis shifted to his side on the exam table and pulled his knees to his chest as he'd been instructed. He felt the hospital gown moved aside and a warm blanket placed over his legs and lower hip. He tried to still the panic in his chest as he listened to the exchange of English words around him. It was a bit bewildering.

"Halo, Tata," she said gently as she moved a stool to the spot in front of him and sat down. Laurentis glanced up into Abby's warm brown eyes as she picked up his hand and he squeezed her's gratefully.

"Luka is stuck with a patient," she said. He nodded and flinched as he felt the prick of a needle in his hip.

"How do you like this exam table, Tata?" she asked. "It goes up and down. Did Luka ever tell you the story about the baby I helped deliver on one of these?" Laurentis shook his head. Abby glanced over his head at the doctor working to retrieve a marrow sample from her father in law's pelvic bone and then back at Laurentis' face.

"Well," she said brightly. "It happened when I was still a nurse but I was working in the ER. We had a pregnant patient whose water broke and shorted out this….pedal….that raises the table. It kept going up and up!" Laurentis kept his eyes on his daughter in law and couldn't help smiling. He couldn't keep up with half of what she was saying. He would have to ask Luka about the story later. But he loved her so much for telling it to him…for being there with him. He grimaced at the sudden sharp discomfort of the biopsy needle. Abby frowned as she squeezed his hand tighter and kept on with her story until the procedure was finished.

She waited until he was dressed again and they walked down to the ER together. He nixed the idea of waiting in Luka's office and chose to sit in a chair in the admit area. He enjoyed watching the people there. He exchanged smiles and nods with their co-workers he'd met on earlier visits and with the patients who were waiting for care. His son was in charge here. His eldest son was the ER Chief. Laurentis shook his head. There was a time when Luka actually slept with his soccer ball and was constantly being chastised in school for being a prankster. Who would have thought that he would end up here? Laurentis smiled to himself as he was lost in remembering when his sons were small. He looked up as Luka approached. He eased himself carefully up from the chair and stood tall.

"Are you ready to go home now, Tata?" Luka asked. Laurentis thought for a moment and then shook his head.

"I think I would like to walk with you a bit," he said. "Do you have a park nearby?" Luka nodded and they headed out of the ambulance bay doors. He hailed a cab at the sidewalk and the two of them headed for Grant Park.

Luka paid the cab driver and turned to his father. Laurentis had already started down the sidewalk toward the massive Buckingham Fountain. Luka watched him limp gingerly for a long moment and then sauntered down the path to catch up to him. Laurentis stopped in front of the fountain and looked up to study it.

"I've never tried sculpting in granite," he said when Luka stood beside him. The familiar Croatian words spilled out. "I never thought I could capture the heart of something in stone. But now, I wonder…" Luka looked up at the still fountain and was silent.

"This is a beautiful city, Luka," Laurentis said finally. "I can see why you love it. You would miss it if you left."

"I miss Croatia too, Tata," Luka replied. "My family is there." Laurentis nodded.

"You have a good life here though. Your mother was right to tell you to come. I can see that now."

"You've been angry at me….all these years?"

"Not angry," Laurentis shook his head. "Maybe….disappointed. I knew how much she loved you. I thought having you near would have made her happier. But, she was happy knowing that you were forging a new life for yourself. That gave her peace." He turned to look at his eldest son.

"I should have come sooner," he said. "I'm sorry." Luka smiled.

"I'm glad that you're here now." Laurentis nodded and clasped his gloved hands behind his back and looked up at the gray sky.

"Seeing you and your beautiful Abby together…." Laurentis sighed. "I miss her a great deal, Luka. I never got to share this success with her. I never got to buy her nice things with the money that I have now."

"Mati didn't want for a single thing," Luka insisted. "We always had enough." Laurentis shook his head.

"You boys never knew how much we struggled to keep food on the table and clothes on your backs," he scoffed. "But what child ever does?"

"We were happy, " Luka shrugged. "And proud of you. We still are." Laurentis smiled softly and turned toward the Lake Michigan shoreline.

"This….is what you exchanged the Adriatic Sea for?" he chuckled in disbelief. Luka laughed and shook his head.


	23. Chapter 23

Abby peeked out the ambulance bay doors and frowned slightly when she saw that Luka was sitting on the bench outside. She wrapped her arms around her chest and pushed the door open with her shoulder. She shivered a bit in the cool fall air as she crossed the empty lot toward him.

"There are warmer places to hide out, you know," she said as she shivered again. Luka smiled and held his arm out and his coat open for her. Abby sat next to him and snuggled in close as he wrapped his coat around her. They sat quietly for a long moment.

"He is going to be fine, Luka," she said finally. "He's going to be just fine. The cancer hasn't spread. ATRA will work for him." Luka sighed heavily and held her closer to him. He wanted to believe her. He wanted desperately to believe her.

"I spoke with Andros last night," Luka said. "He is waiting to hear about treatment options so he can find out what is available in Croatia. He wants Tata to come home." She nodded thoughtfully.

"I would like Tata to be here for Christmas," she said quietly. "I'd like them all to be here actually." Luka chuckled.

"I doubt if you could get either of my sisters in law on a trans-Atlantic airplane," he sighed. "It might be easier for us to go there." She turned to look at him.

"Could we?" she asked happily. "For a couple of weeks? Maybe take Tata home ourselves?" Luka chuckled and kissed her nose.

"I have turned you into an international traveler!" Abby smiled and reached up to caress his cheek.

"Kerry might have a conniption," she sighed softly. "She might be afraid we were going to take another side trip with the L'Alliance….like last time." Luka chuckled and shook his head. He squeezed her close.

"Can you believe that we actually did that to her?" Abby laughed softly and pressed her head against Luka's chest again. She loved listening to his strong heart beat.

"It's like some crazy kind of television show, isn't it?" she sighed. "Tune in next week for another episode of the Luka and Abby show….." He laughed. Her brown eyes searched the beaten ambulance bay and then she looked up at him.

"We've kind of come full circle here, haven't we?" she said. "I mean, look at where we're sitting." Luka glanced around. His eyes twinkled as he remembered.

"This is where you first kissed me," he grinned. He felt her cringing.

"I was so embarrassed….."

"And I was so….intrigued." She frowned a bit and looked up at him playfully.

"Intrigued?" she asked.

"You were funny….and smart….." he explained. "…had a nice ass." She laughed and snuggled close again. Luka sighed and kissed the top of her head.

"I want us to grow old together," she said softly.

"We will," he assured her. "Old and gray and wrinkled…..and happy."

"Abby?" Chuny called from the door. They both looked up.

"We've got a code brown on Mr. Podoni again." she said. Abby straightened and shook her head.

"Will that man never learn?" she sighed as Chuny went back inside. Luka pulled his arm back and she stood up. She kissed him and then headed toward the ER doors.

"Hey, Abby," he called after her. "When we're old and gray and wrinkly?" She turned around.

"You'll still have a nice ass." Abby Lockhart Kovac grinned and blew him a kiss. Luka reached up to 'catch' it and smiled softly as she went inside. He sat back and looked up at the brick wall before him. The rows of windows were orderly and neat, the words "County Hospital" high at the top. His eyes flew to the sudden bustling activity at the doors and heard the whine of the ambulance siren in the distance. Time to get back to work. Luka Kovac stood up as the ambulance careened into the bay and the doors burst open. He hurried to help with the gurney that was unloaded and pushed it into the ER.

The End


End file.
